An Altoona man was arrested for grand theft Tuesday for stealing an electric bicycle worth $1,000 parked outside an Ace Hardware.
An officer responded to Ace Hardware, located at 811 N. Central Avenue, regarding a theft, later found to involve 25-year-old James Warren Brown, around 3:26 p.m. Saturday, according to an arrest report from the Umatilla Police Department.
Upon arrival, the officer met with the victim who stated that about 26 minutes prior, he drove his electric bicycle to Ace Hardware to get some items to fix his bicycle. He parked it on the southeast side of the store next to a yellow railing. He went into the store, and when he came back out, his bicycle was gone, the report said.
The bike was described as a black Schwinn bicycle with a motor on it. The motor was an aluminum 2 stroke with a red carburetor. The bike had a black front rim and a red rear trim, with the front tire being 27.5” and the back being a 26” tire. The handlebars had a green flashlight attached. There was also a black gas tank, a brown seat and a milk crate strapped to a green skateboard on the back of the bike, the report said.
The victim continued by saying his phone and his wallet with his Florida ID and Social Security card were in a backpack in the milk crate. The motorized bike was valued at $1,000. His phone was valued at $100 and the wallet at $50, the report said.
The officer next reviewed security footage from the store. In the video, he could see a subject in blue fishing-type shirt and white cargo shorts, later identified as Brown, walking up to the area of the bicycle. He went off camera before reemerging with the bike in hand, the report said.
Brown got on the bike and rode out of camera view. In one of the security camera videos, he was seen riding the bike behind the store then off view heading west toward Umatilla Boulevard. Ace Hardware staff said a subject like Brown had stolen items from other Ace Hardware stores in surrounding cities, the report said.
The officer showed another officer a picture of the subject on the bicycle, and he was able to identify him as Brown. A check of a law enforcement database showed that the Brown was like the person in the security video. According to the other officer, Brown lived at 19331 E. Altoona Road, the report said.
So, the officer responded to that address to find Brown and the stolen bike. He found Brown on the property wearing the same shorts from the video. He was read his rights and agreed to speak with the officer who explained that he knew Brown was at Ace Hardware because he had him on video. He also wanted to know where the bike was located, the report said.
Brown stated he put it “over there,” nodding his head in the direction of the bike. The officer asked him to get the bike, and he showed where it was located under a tarp about eight feet away. The bicycle underneath the tarp appeared to match the description given by the victim, the report said.
The officer also asked Brown where the bag containing the wallet was at, to which he walked to a tent, reached inside and pulled out a backpack with the victim’s wallet and ID. He then took out a cell phone from his left cargo pant pocket that he indicated was the victim’s phone, the report said.
When asked why he took everything, Brown replied that he was tired of walking. In the store security video, however, he got dropped off at Ace Hardware by a van, the report said.
Brown pushed the bike back out onto the roadway for the officer. He photographed the bike, phone, and wallet that were in the backpack, which were later returned to the victim. Brown was not arrested at the time, the report said.
On Tuesday night, an officer saw Brown at Kangaroo Express, located at 42404 SR 19, and took him into custody to be charged with grand theft and two counts of possession of personal identification information. The Arizona native was transported to Lake County Jail with bond set at $4,500.