Andersonville Bike Thief Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison
By Adeshina Emmanuel on February 5, 2014 8:41am
ANDERSONVILLE — Eight years in prison — that's the sentence handed this week to a man who was caught on a surveillance camera stealing a bike from an Andersonville home.
A video posted to YouTube in October captured him in the 1400 block of North Summerdale Avenue breaking into a locked backyard and then a garage before taking the bike and riding off down an alley.
The suspect, 51-year-old Juan Mora, who was arrested about three weeks later, was recognized by some viewers and had been seen around the neighborhood, according to Ben Davis, the Andersonville man whose wife's bike was stolen from the Summerdale Avenue home that day.
Davis is the one who uploaded footage of the crime to the Internet after adding in funny captions and setting the video to electronic music band Freezepop's song "Bike Thief."
The star of the video turned out to be Mora, of the 1400 block of South Canal Street, who pleaded guilty to the 2013 residential burglary in Cook County Circuit Court and was sentenced by Judge Larry Axelrod to eight years in prison, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.
Before he entered the plea, Mora had already been convicted of nine felonies since 1993, according to the Circuit Court of Cook County. Most the convictions were for residential burglaries, including cases in 2009 and 2010.
When he first made the video, Davis' main purpose wasn't to catch Mora.
It "was to make my wife feel better," he said.
"It was to make her laugh," Davis said. "It was her bike that got stolen, it was she who felt the most violated as she was at home on maternity leave at the time, only 20 feet away from this guy as he was breaking into our garage."
She thought the video was funny, but had mixed feelings about Mora's sentence. Davis did too.
"The honest truth is I'm conflicted about the sentence," Davis said. "On the face of it, an eight-year sentence is an awfully long time for stealing a bike, granted, it's really a four-year sentence when you take into account time off for good behavior."
Slideshow Eight years in prison — that's the sentence handed this week to a man who was caught on a surveillance camera stealing a bike from an Andersonville home. An Andersonville man caught someone on camera stealing his wife's bike. View Full Caption However, Mora's nine prior convictions makes it seem more "reasonable," he said.
"This guy has been stealing and going to jail for most of his adult life," Davis said. "He does have a story, and it's a sad story. It makes the bike part of it seem somewhat insignificant."
Not only did Davis post the video that helped apprehend Mora, he confronted the man and made the call that led to his arrest.
Davis reposted the video of the bike theft on social media website Nextdoor.com — and a neighbor said he'd seen the suspect at a liquor store at Hollywood and Clark. One night, on his way home from work, Davis decided to drive by the area his neighbor had mentioned.
He said he was sitting on a street corner in his car when he saw Mora, wearing the exact same clothes he was wearing in the video captured three weeks earlier.
Davis confronted him, pulled out his cell phone and showed Mora pictures from the video — "and he admitted it," Davis said. Davis said he called the police and "they arrived very quickly," to arrest Mora.
"What I did in confronting him was not very smart with a wife and kids back home, but it all fortunately went down okay and he turned out to not be a violent guy, Davis said.
Attempts to reach Mora's family and public defender on Tuesday were unsuccessful.
http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20140205/uptown/andersonville-bike-t...
Views: 1214
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Christine (5.0) on
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8 years for all bike thieves, I say. And community service for life. And public floggings. Possibly public hangings; isn't that what they did to horse thieves in the west?
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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on
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Really stupid move to confront the thief and show him cell phone video, and huge stroke of luck that the cops actually showed up.
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Permalink Reply by Apie (11) on
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It is a sad story, I agree with Davis, that the bike part of it seems somewhat insignificant to the troubles this non-violent guy probably has. I'd have mixed feelings as well.
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It sounds like there is widespread sentiment in favor of the decriminalization of property crimes?
Apie (10.6) said:It is a sad story, I agree with Davis, that the bike part of it seems somewhat insignificant to the troubles this non-violent guy probably has. I'd have mixed feelings as well.
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Permalink Reply by Duppie on
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hahaha.
Jeff Schneider said:Andersonville IMO is a little more genteel than most of our neighborhoods. I could imagine the thief saying, "Well played, Sir!" to Mr. Davis as they waited together for the arrival of the constabulary...
h' 1.0 said:Really stupid move to confront the thief and show him cell phone video, and huge stroke of luck that the cops actually showed up.
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I enjoyed that one too.
Duppie said:hahaha.
Jeff Schneider said:Andersonville IMO is a little more genteel than most of our neighborhoods. I could imagine the thief saying, "Well played, Sir!" to Mr. Davis as they waited together for the arrival of the constabulary...
h' 1.0 said:Really stupid move to confront the thief and show him cell phone video, and huge stroke of luck that the cops actually showed up.
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Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on
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That much time in prison seems harsh but at the same time, it wasn't on the street, he broke into their garage. What would have happened if one of them walked in on him?
Do we know if he had any prior convictions? It's too bad something like this can't involve a community service like time working at West Town or something benefiting the bike community.
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Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on
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Great idea. I do think we need tougher laws to "motivate' (can't think of the word), not to steal. Not like Singapore, but harsher than the normal conviction.
Yasmeen said:Do we know if he had any prior convictions? It's too bad something like this can't involve a community service like time working at West Town or something benefiting the bike community.
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Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on
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According to the artcle posted here: Before he entered the plea, Mora had already been convicted of nine felonies since 1993, according to the Circuit Court of Cook County. Most the convictions were for residential burglaries, including cases in 2009 and 2010.
Yasmeen said:Do we know if he had any prior convictions?
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Thanks, that makes much more sense now.
Gene Tenner said:According to the artcle posted here: Before he entered the plea, Mora had already been convicted of nine felonies since 1993, according to the Circuit Court of Cook County. Most the convictions were for residential burglaries, including cases in 2009 and 2010.
Yasmeen said:Do we know if he had any prior convictions?
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Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on
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A bike are not "just an object". They are also symbols that we can break free from the destructiveness of car-culture. Bike theft is an attack on our practice of sustainability and affront against hope. Bike theft is wrong on a lot of levels, the least of which is that it is a theft of a physical object.
Davis Moore said:He's a career criminal, whose specialty is B&E, which is a more severe crime than simple felony theft, but public hangings, flogging? Really? Get a grip.
Yeah, yeah our bikes are special little snowflakes. They're also just an object. He'll do 4 yrs tops, in federal prison, which with the psychic, emotional and physical damage done by our prison system, with it's focus on for profit incarceration as a punitive, rather than restorative or rehabilitative focus, is no walk in the park. But even still, for someone whose had that many convictions and whose life is probably so bottomed out, being inside prison, where you're fed, clothed and housed, is probably not the least desirable thing ever.
But this draconian sentiment that all bike thieves must hang is a little obsessive. We're not talking about rape or murder here.
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