I live at 900 26th Ave NE, in Minneapolis, the corner of 26th Ave NE and Jackson. We do not have a garage, so my wife's adut tricycle was chained to our grill and my daughter's slide. At some point tonight, we belive around 10 pm, while my dog was cowering in her kennel from all the fireworks going off in our neighborhood, someone came into our yard, cut the heavy duty steel cable that the trike was locked with, and rode off with it.
A kid in the neighborhood said he saw "some mexican guy" riding it, but I know his family is kinda racist and he was 13, so I don't know that that is an accurate description.
This is an old and very hard to find tricycle. It took us nearly two years to track this one down. We are offering a reward of $100 for the return of the trike, no questions asked. We'd offer more, but I've been unemployed since september so money is tight.
Go here to see a picture of the trike with a more thorough description:
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/laf/1252852471.html
Please post this message anywhere you think it might help.
That really sucks Spidey, hope you get it back!
This sounds obvious, but did you file a police report? With stolen property the cops sometimes will fax item description information to pawn shops. I don't know what the threshold is, if it's about what was stolen or how much it's worth but when my sister had some jewelry stolen from her house, she filed a police report and was able to recover some of it from a pawn shop that had gotten the police fax.
Also, call any bike repair shops and scrap metal places near you.
I am the thread killer.
Police were called and took a report that night. Not sure if they'll send a report to the pawn shops, but we have sent a description and picture to every used bike shop in town. Didn't even think of Pawn Shops, prolly go drop some flyers off there today.
Not to overstate the obvious, but check Craigslist as well as any other auction site. Bear in mind with the suspect description the appearance may have been changed as well, so don't rule out oversized gold rims, and a lowered chassie.
Ok, I'm being me. Seriously, though, don't give out your address like that. Not only do people know which house is yours and that your dog is afraid of fireworks, they can look up anything they want on you and steal from you that way. I was able to find your name, spouse, and that you used to live in WI.
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Spidey: Police were called and took a report that night. Not sure if they'll send a report to the pawn shops, but we have sent a description and picture to every used bike shop in town. Didn't even think of Pawn Shops, prolly go drop some flyers off there today.
Just a note about Pawn shops.....you have a better chance of getting your stolen stuff from them if you just file a police report, and DON'T TELL THEM you're looking for specific stolen goods.
If a pawn shop takes in something, they are required to hold it a few days and enter it in a system that is connected to police records (the whole reason they don't immediately turn around and sell stuff they buy off ppl, and record your ID even just to sell stuff). If they know/think it could be stolen, they don't want anything to do with it and will send it out the door never to be seen again. If they don't know it's stolen, there's a chance they'll match the theft reports and the cops can get it back to you......or they won't match the records, and it'll be in the store soon and if you spot it there, you can pull the report and probably get it back.
I appreciate your concern, but I'm not real worried about it. It's not like any of that info is a secret. I've never hidden my real name, or my spouse's, and as for knowing which house is mine, I'm pretty sure I'm in the phone book. Never did live in Wisconsin though.
A little more research and you probably could've found my resume and discovered I've been unemployed for 9 months, and/or posts on forums such as this discussing how I'm perpetually broke. Not really worth stealing much from me. A little Google maps street view would show you that my house is right on the corner well lit by a street light and with really no cover. It'd be MUCH more difficult for someone to break into my house and grab stuff without being seen, than it was for someone to slip into the yard cut a bike cable and ride off.
Any leads, thus far???
“Confucius say, Crowded elevator always smell different to midget."
Well we put up flyers around the neighborehood, offering a $100 reward. LAst friday we got a call at 10pm left on our answering machine by a kid claiming he was the one who stole it. Gave an address, then added "Hundred dolla *** or you gonna die". Called the police immediately and are waiting to hear from them if it led anywhere or was just a dumb kid.
Hmm, must have been the previous owner. Phone records will track down the culprit and even if it's not the one, there's still a crime of harassing phone calls and terroristic threats to look into. BUT, you live in Mpls and MPD could probably care less. It could be a lead when the cross check the address, who knows. I'd start checking empty lots and creekbeds because who ever had it probably got rid of it right away after seeing the fliers.