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posted February 04, 2007
COPS AND ROBBERS
Remember market vendor Maria's recliner bike, stolen at the market on Dec.21? A fifteen-year-old kid was charged with the theft after a park friend reported to police that she saw him with the bike on New Year's Eve. (But the bike was not recovered – he told police he didn’t have it any more.)
This was the same kid who was arrested and found to have a concealed weapon (knife) at the rink last season. Six park staff went to youth court in October to tell the judge their impression from working with this kid all winter – that he was in serious trouble and needed special attention. But on that occasion the crown lawyer never gave the park staff a chance to speak, and the judge sentenced the youth to do a mere 20 hours of community service administered by his own lawyer. It seems that as soon as he had done those hours, he stole the market vendor’s bike.
Follow-up: in the third week of January, park staff Dan Watson was driving along Bloor Street, when he saw the same kid riding the market vendor’s stolen bike, and followed him. But the kid got away again (first telling Dan to “stop harassing him or he’d call the police” – nervy kid!). The police told Dan to fax them a report, and that may result in another charge of violating bail conditions. (When you’re out on bail you’re not supposed ride around on a stolen bike.) That adds another charge to a growing list – after the original bike theft, the same kid was also charged with a robbery elsewhere, and another bike theft.
The courts are reluctant to put kids in custody, so the best thing is for people to watch their bikes. The other thing is to watch for a slender, slight, black-haired youth riding a very unusual red recliner bike with a black seat, in the Bloor-Lansdowne area. Following to see where he puts it would be a good thing. Getting your hands on it would be the best of all. Never mind the kid – just bring Maria’s bike back to her.
To read more: www.dufferinpark.ca “Police and Safety/Neighbourhood Safety Bike Thief.”