Kathryn Lucas's stolen bike wound up on Craigslist -- so she stole it back
Craigslist is a great way to sell stuff, whether it belongs to you or not. But eighteen-year-old Denzel O'Neal Crawford learned the service also gives ballsy crime victims the opportunity to reclaim their property.
Kathryn Lucas.
That's precisely what Boulder's Kathryn Lucas did with her stolen bicycle.
Lucas told CBS4 she had locked up her Trek road bike outside the Lazy Dog on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall, then went inside to watch a game. When she came out, her wheels were missing.
Gone for good? Not quite. Lucas subsequently took a look on Craigslist to see if the bicycle thief was stupid enough to place it there for sale -- and it turns out he was. She soon found a listing for her bike, complete with a photo that allowed her to make a positive ID, and decided to contact the seller while posing as a customer.
Before long, she was at Crawford's place in Westminster. She told him she was interested in the bike, but wanted to give it a test-ride. So she hopped aboard, started pedaling -- and never came back.
Instead, she loaded the bike into her car, drove away and called the law on Crawford. Cops soon showed up, and the Boulder Daily Camera notes that he admitted to stealing the bike, according to the police report.
The story has since gone national, with CBS running the package on its network, and other outlets picking it up. Lucas, meanwhile, has gotten a new bike lock -- one good enough, hopefully, to make detective work like the kind that led to Crawford's arrest unnecessary in the future.
Look below to see Crawford's mug shot as well as the aforementioned CBS4 piece.
Denzel O'Neal Crawford.
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More from our Colorado Crimes archive: "Kevin Gaylor reports Craigslist pal as burglar when girlfriend shows up."
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