Police have arrested a man accused of stealing nearly three dozen high-end bicycles, some of which are as pricey as a new car.
According to an Arlington police report, 35 bikes ranging in price from $1,500 to $12,000 were stolen from Bicycles Inc. The theft totaled more than $90,000.
“It's not like stealing a car, where it comes in one size,” store manager Eddie Holsopple said. “Some of the bikes he managed to get -- $8,000-plus -- were very, very customized.”
Armed with descriptions of the unique bikes, police caught a break.
“One of the bikes that he tried to pawn was a very unique color," Holsopple said. "He'd gotten rid of the serial number, but because of the unique color and size, it made it easier to prove it was one of our bikes."
Police got the man's name and address from the pawnshop.
Walter Herrington II, 27, faces felony theft charges.
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Holsopple said all but three of the bikes have been returned.
“It really is a gut-wrenching feeling to come into the store -- and this is your heart and soul and you love what you do -- and to see it kind of ripped apart makes you feel really terrible," he said. "But then the good news is, the police department does work diligently to arrest them and make things better for us."
Despite the store's security system, store managers didn't find out until hours after the robbery.
“The [thief] did take out our cameras that were in the back of the building with the lights, so he was able to work in the back without the neighbors seeing him,” Holsopple said.
The thief also avoided tripping the store's motion detectors while slipping the bikes out the back door, he said.
