Posts tagged theft
Alleged serial bike thief gets caught
Jun 11th
A serial thief who has stolen bikes from University of Colorado students on at least three occasions has been arrested. The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office arrested Wayne Willet Cron last week on an outstanding warrant requested by the University of Colorado Police Department. On June 6, 2013, the District Attorney’s Office charged Cron with three felonies – Theft between $1,000 to $20,000 (Class 4 felony), Theft By Receiving (Class 4 felony) and Providing False Information to a Pawnbroker (Class 6 felony).
Cron, a 40-year-old transient, was also arrested in 2005 and 2010 for stealing bikes from CU students. In the most recent case, a CU student reported that someone had cut a cable lock on Jan. 17, 2013, near the Ekeley Sciences Building to steal his brand-new $3,000 Cannondale mountain bike.
On March 23, 2013, the victim contacted UCPD to say he found his bike listed for sale on the eBay website. A YouTube video on that site briefly showed part of the bike’s serial number, which matched the victim’s stolen bike. UCPD detectives contacted the listed seller, a Denver pawnshop, and learned that Cron sold the Cannondale bike to the pawnshop on Jan. 17, 2013 – the same day of the reported theft. On that day, Cron signed documents stating he had owned the bike for one year and acknowledged that providing false information was a felony.
UCPD recovered the bike and returned it to the rightful owner. UCPD requested that a judge approve an arrest warrant for Cron. The suspect has an extensive criminal history in five states, including arrests for burglary, larceny and pawn violations.
“The keys to solving this case started with the victim knowing his bike’s serial number and ended with solid detective work,” said CU-Boulder police spokesman Ryan Huff. “It’s critical that CU students register their bikes so they can be more easily located if stolen. This case also shows that cable locks are easily defeated. U-locks are a better option for securing your bike.”
The CU Police Department asks students, faculty and staff to register their bicycle’s serial number at the CU Bike Station, just east of the University Memorial Center. If their bikes are ever stolen, police have a better chance of finding them by accessing a nationwide database. For other safety tips, please visit the UCPD website’s bike theft prevention page athttp://bit.ly/CUBikeSafety.
CU police press release
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Boulder police: Credit card rampage by recent wallet thieves
Apr 4th
Boulder police are looking for three suspects (one male and two females) in connection with the theft of a wallet and credit cards from the Whole Foods store, located at 2905 Pearl St., on January 20, 2013.
The victim was grocery shopping around 3:30 p.m. and said she became distracted when a male bumped into her with his cart. She had placed her open purse in the seat of the cart while she was shopping and believes the male stole her wallet after he ran into her with his cart. She didn’t immediately notice that her wallet had been taken.
Her stolen credit cards were used a short time later at several stores, including Apple, Target, Gymboree, Sunglass Hut and Nordstrom Rack. Photos taken from surveillance video show two women using the cards to purchase a variety of merchandise and gift cards.
One female suspect is described as:
· White or Hispanic
· Between 26 and 30 years old
· Average or slim build
· Brown or auburn hair which is pulled back from her face
· Wearing dark-framed eyeglasses
· Gray sweater with a white shirt underneath, jeans and a dark-colored purse worn across her body
The other female suspect is described as:
· Between 30 and 35 years old
· Slightly overweight
· Wearing a dark-colored jacket and white scarf
· Straight, dark hair which is pulled back from her face
· Carrying a handbag with short straps
Clerks believe the women were speaking Spanish, and described them as wearing “high end” clothing and carrying Gucci and Louis Vuitton handbags. Photos of the women are attached.
The male suspect from Whole Foods is described as:
· Hispanic male
· Early-to-mid twenties
· 6’02” tall
· Tall and stocky build (not heavyset)
· Short black hair
· Wearing a white stocking cap with blue stripes, and a black jacket
The case number is 13-826.
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CU crime reporting goes online
Feb 28th
The site will allow persons to report the crime and incident types listed below at the UCPD website: http://police.colorado.edu/crimereporting. The new site is not for reporting “crimes in progress” or other emergencies.
· Bicycle theft (no dollar limit)
· Computer/other theft (value under $2,500)
· Criminal mischief, including graffiti
· Lost/mislaid personal or university property
· Non-criminal property damage or personal injury
· Traffic- or pedestrian-related concern
Currently, an officer would respond to these incidents, interview witnesses and then compile a police report. While that remains an option, the online reporting site can save time for both the reporting party and UCPD officers. For example, UCPD took reports on 162 bike thefts last year.
“This new tool provides an online convenience for students and others who want to report crimes on campus,” said CU-Boulder Police Chief Joe Roy. “It will also free up officers to spend more time on the street focusing on directed problem solving, such as preventing bike thefts and more serious crimes.”
Users can upload their case summary, possible suspect info and incident photos. The information will transfer into UCPD’s records management system and be investigated in the same manner as reports filed by police officers.
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