Crime & Safety
Teen Nabbed for Stealing Bike from Subdivision Garage
Joliet police said the teen took advantage of a partially open garage door to steal the bicycle, which he painted a different color to help disguise it.
By Karen Sorensen
A 15-year-old boy who stole a bike from a neighbor's garage and attempted to disguise it by spray-painting it black was arrested and charged with residential burglary, Joliet Police Cmdr. Al Roechner said.
Related: Bike Stolen Right Out of Our Garage
The bicycle, a silver-and-red Mongoose valued at $175, was reported stolen July 16 from a residence at 7005 Twin Falls Drive in the Clearwater Springs subdivision, Roechner said. The owners posted fliers seeking the bike's return, and two days later a teen who found it in a nearby park brought it back to them, he said.
Officers interviewed the teen, who said he saw the 15-year-old suspect riding it. They were able to contact the boy's mother, who brought him to the police substation at 7196 Caton Farm Road on July 19, Roechner said.
Initially, the teen denied knowing anything about the bike but later admitted that he spotted the victims' garage door partially open and went inside to take the bike, he said. The suspect told officers that he thought that by spray-painting it a different color, no one would be able to identify it.
The teen was arrested and transported to the River Valley Juvenile Detention Center in Joliet.
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