Thirteen reports of missing bicycles around campus spurred an investigation by the University Police Department (UPD). Investigator Michael Bradburn spearheaded this investigation and recovered a total of eight bicycles for St. Edward’s University students.

Freshman Gabriela Macias’ bicycle was stolen. Macias said that she left her bicycle chained up outside of Teresa Hall. She came back to find only the front wheel still there. The rest of her $800 bicycle was gone. She was devastated to find out her bicycle had been stolen and that she would not receive any compensation. 

Macias recommends that students “lock their bicycles properly and use two locks.”

Macias usually locked up her bicycle correctly, but the one day she decided not to lock the frame of her bicycle, it disappeared. Macias has other friends whose bikes have been stolen from outside of Teresa Hall.

Bradburn was given the serial number to a stolen bicycle, so that he could try and locate it. He began to examine computer reports of a pawned bicycle in the Austin area. 

He could not find a bicycle with the exact same serial number, but he decided to investigate pawnshops anyway.

Bradburn found the first stolen bicycle on Oct. 2 and found the rest of the stolen property over the next seven days. 

He recovered five stolen bicycles from five different pawnshops. 

He also recovered a high-end BMX bicycle for an open Austin Police Department case during his investigation. 

After further investigation, Bradburn determined that the person pawning the bicycles was doing it for her boyfriend.

He located the culprits and obtained a full confession, landing one of the suspects in the Travis County Jail on a felony theft charge for the stolen bicycles. 

Arrests are now pending for the two accomplices who are being charged with Class A misdemeanors. None of the suspects go to St. Edward’s or are affiliated with the university in any way.

Bradburn recovered the remaining three bikes from the suspect’s apartment off campus. 

Although Bradburn found the majority of the bikes, some have not made it back to their rightful owners. 

Since the suspects are in custody, UPD believes that there will not be any more reports of stolen bicycles on campus.

Regardless, Bradburn recommends that bicycles should be “locked with good locks and chains” and said it is wise for students to register their bikes with UPD. Bicycles registered with UPD will have a serial number on file to provide if stolen.

 UPD can also engrave a student’s driver’s license number on the bike. 

“Without a serial number it is almost impossible to locate the bike,” Bradburn said. 

Remember to file a police report when your bike cannot be found because “three of the incidents reported came after I [Bradburn] recovered stolen bikes as the victim had not filed reports,” Bradburn said.

Students can register and have their bike engraved at the UPD located on the ground floor of Holy Cross Hall in room G2. To file a police report, call UPD at 512-448-8477.