A 44-year-old man was arrested Wednesday, May 3, bringing an end to a spree of bicycle thefts that had plagued downtown Winslow since early April.
Wayne Lauer II was arrested for second-degree burglary, first-degree theft, first-degree trafficking in stolen property and malicious mischief (in the third degree), in relation to the theft of at least five bikes from the bike barn storage facility near the Winslow ferry terminal.
The combined value of the bicycles was about $10,000, according to the Bainbridge Island Police Department. They all had been chained up and secured when stolen.
Bicycles were reported stolen from the bike barn on April 10, 14, 17, 18 and, finally, early on May 3.
Only two other stolen bicycles, from separate locations and at different times, were reported to the Bainbridge Island Police Department so far this year, Police Chief Matthew Hamner said.
That indicated to police that the bike barn incidents were most likely done by the same person or group, he said, and that they would continue until an arrest was made.
Though security footage from the bike barn did give police a general idea of the suspect’s appearance, it was not somebody immediately recognizable, Hamner said, and it did not assist police in determining where he went after taking the bikes, toward or away from the ferry.
Delayed reporting of several of the thefts and the lack of evidence made for a difficult start to the case, until a bit of luck — and a timely report — changed the game.
“It was reported that we had a stolen bike that was taken the day before,” Hamner said of the May 3 incident. “The bike was seen across the street from That’s a Some Pizza on Winslow Way, near an apartment complex.
“Upon locating the bicycle, Officer [Erik] Peffer contacted the bike owner and based on photos of the bike and other characteristics, confirmed that it was the stolen bike — and that the lock [now on it] was not hers.”
Peffer then waited across the street in his unmarked car, Hamner said, and eventually somebody came to collect the bike.
“At approximately 11:45 a.m., a male subject with a similar build and walk from the bike barn videos approached the bicycle and began to work the combination on the bike lock,” he said. “The detective made contact with him and detained the subject.”
Lauer at first said he’d found the bike, but quickly admitted to having stolen it, Hamner said.
“He also admitted to taking the other bicycles and agreed to work with us on the recovery.”
Lauer allegedly told police he would travel to Bainbridge from Seattle on the ferry, scope out the bikes parked near the terminal, and then call his contacts in the city to see if he could arrange to either sell them or trade them for drugs.
Delayed reporting of the thefts was a major obstacle early in the investigation, Hamner said.
“People are not reporting these thefts sometimes,” he said. “They don’t call the police.
“They need to report it immediately because we might come across that guy with the bike and if it’s not in the system we let it go,” Hamner explained. “We’re like, ‘That was strange he has an $8,000 bike but he doesn’t have 50 cents in his pocket. But, there’s no report of it being stolen.’”
As there is no nonemergency number to call in Kitsap County, Hamner reiterated that for any and all police matters, citizens should dial 911.
The chief also praised the arresting officer for his over-and-above attention to the case.
“The officer could have just said, ‘Oh, there’s the stolen bike. Let’s recover it,’” he said. “That’s the easy thing to do.
“Instead, he’s like, ‘Let’s see if somebody comes for it.’ Bing-bada-boom: That’s the guy that did them all. An extra effort on the officer’s part, and we’ve resolved all these crimes.”
