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Kelowna  

Customized wheels returned

UPDATE 1:30 P.M.

The custom hand-cranked bicycle stolen Thursday belonged to Kelowna FMX rider, Bruce Cook.

The bike was recovered shortly after it was stolen through the assistance of friend Sara Dawn Pidwerbesky.

According to his Facebook page, Cook posted the theft at 7:15 p.m., 15 minutes after it had been stolen.

Pidwerbesky says she spotted the bike two blocks from his house and began "phoning...texting...taking pics."

The suspect was caught and arrested 15 minutes later.

Cook was rendered a complete paraplegic after he suffered severe spinal injuries while attempting the world's first ever FMX double front flip during a show in Hamilton, ON on Jan 3.


A 21-year old Kelowna man has been charged after he was caught with a stolen bike Thursday evening.

At about 8 p.m. on Aug 14, a woman flagged down a Kelowna RCMP officer near Harvey Avenue and Burtch Road, saying her friend's customized, hand-cranked bicycle had just been stolen. 

She also reported that the very distinguishable bicycle had just been spotted in the area being ridden by a male suspect.

Police located the suspect in a nearby alleyway. He was found still in possession of the stolen bike, which has an estimated value of at least $2,000. The man was taken into custody for possession of the stolen property.

Through further investigation police determined that the bicycle, which had been left unlocked on the front balcony of a residence in the 1100 Block of Bernard Avenue, had been stolen within the previous 10 to 15 minutes.

The owner of the bicycle, a 27-year-old Kelowna man who is physically disabled and relies heavily on the customized bike for transportation, was grateful for its safe return.   

The suspect faces possible criminal charges of Possession of Stolen Property Under $5,000. He was later released from police custody on a Promise to Appear in court on October 23, 2014.

Unsecured homes, vehicles and bicycles are a very tempting target for thieves and police are asking owners for their help in reducing theft in our community by locking them up.



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