Christina Morton and Sebastian Martini sit atop their "Datemobile," a specialized tandem bicycle stolen last year. Ann Arbor police recovered the bike and arrested a suspect Tuesday.
Courtesy of Sebastian Martini
Ann Arbor police Detective Bill Stanford said the man will be arraigned Wednesday afternoon on home invasion charges stemming from the June 15, 2012 incident. Stanford said the man confessed to stealing the bike after he was confronted by police — who were led to the man by Martini.
“The victim was checking out Craigslist and saw the bike for sale,” Stanford said. “He made contact with the guy, confirmed it was his bike and gave us a call.”
Martini built the specialized tandem bike so he and Morton, who has multiple sclerosis, could ride around Ann Arbor. The couple, and their dog Topeka, would ride to dog parks and around the block as a way to spend time together. The couple called the 2004 Specialized Rockhopper with a Xtracycle extension their “Datemobile.”
On June 15, 2012, Martini discovered the Rockhopper and a 1999 Specialized Hardrock bike stolen overnight from the couple’s garage in the 200 block of Oakbrook Drive.
Stanford said the 18-year-old man who confessed to stealing the two bikes will face home invasion charges because he entered a locked garage.
In an email sent Wednesday morning, Martini said he tracked the thief down on Tuesday.
“I tracked down the bike thief via a cryptic, but suspicious, Craigslist ad,” he said, “then called the police and he got arrested. So far, only one of the two bikes got recovered and is currently (held) as evidence with the police.”
The couple had insurance on the bikes and purchased a new bike since the original Datemobile was stolen, Martini said. Once the stolen bike is returned to them, Martini said the couple would like to put it to good use, possibly by auctioning it off and donating the money.
Stanford said the bike would be returned to the couple in short order.
The 18-year-old man is lodged at the Washtenaw County Jail as he awaits arraignment, Stanford said.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.