Recovering A Stolen Dirt Bike

Interesting! Here’s the YouTube description:

Recently my son’s dirt bike was stolen from his garage where the thief had to cut multiple locks and chains to remove it. My son had it listed on Charlotte Craigslist for sale and he gave out his address to folks that wanted to see it. After the dirt bike was stolen, a police report was filed with our local Police department and we started the hunt. My son ran some ads on CL asking for help to find his bike but didn’t get any leads. He continued to scour the bikes for sale section on many websites but found it back on Craigslist, just three weeks after it was stolen! We immediately contacted the “seller”/perp and made arrangements to see it the next morning, about 45 miles from where it was taken from. Armed with a pic from his ad and info from him about a nearby landmark, we were able to pinpoint his apartment complex and better prepare ourselves.

After a sleepless night for all three of us, the next morning we showed up to see the bike. We helped him remove it from his crib and ’bout crapped ourselves when we saw that it was undoubtedly our CRF250R! The only obvious thing that was changed was someone had removed the graphics, other than that the bike was unadulterated! Even the rear tire looked almost exactly as it did before the theft. Very few laps around the hood apparently. After my son rode it to make sure it was what he wanted, we talked the perp down to a fair price. We told the fellow that we’d go grab the cash at a bank, and get a quick burger and be back in 30 min. The three of us drove about one block away and called the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police to the scene. After explaining the situation, 2 CMPD cars approached the perps residence to see him first pushing the bike then dropping it and fleeing to his favourite cuts in the fences that separate the apartment complexes. A full on chase ensued which eventually involved 20 or so officers. The cops are well aware of the cuts in the fences and were waiting for him when he ran through one. Cuffed, stuffed and brought back to the site where he bailed from.

I came back to the deserted scene during the chase to find the bike on its side, a couple of CMPD cars and a discarded officers service jacket. Within a few minutes the cops were back, with the fellow in the back seat. After we provided the law with all the paperwork, Vin. #, Police report, and original bill of sale, we were allowed to load our property and take it back to where it rightfully belongs… on the trail, in the woods. Thanks to CMPD for their help. There were countless ways to handle that day and just as many possible outcomes. The approach we took kept us out of jail, if we didn’t have the Vin. #, we would’ve had to do things different.