Way to Go, Neighbor! Caller Alerts Cops to 2 Bike Theft Suspects

Two suspected thieves -- with stolen loot, drugs and a stun gun -- were arrested Sunday thanks to an alert Palo Alto resident, who witnessed a bike theft in College Terrace, got the license number of the getaway vehicle and called police, according to law enforcement.
 
The Palo Alto Police Department recovered two stolen bicycles, plus narcotics, a stun gun and a bag of burglary tools, along with arresting 46-year-old Deborah Alley Gerkin and 37-year-old Roberto Solorzano-Rodriguez, both of San Jose,  on a slew of charges.

On Sunday at 10:23 a.m., a neighbor called police to report an in-progress bike theft from a carport on the 2300 block of Wellesley Street -- a man and woman putting the boosted bike on their SUV's roof.

The caller added that there was a second bicycle also on the roof of the SUV,  a white 1999 GMC Jimmy, and provided the license plate number, police said.

Within minutes, a patrol officer spotted the suspects' vehicle -- sitting unoccupied in the parking lot of Jack in the Box at 2280 El Camino Real, but with no bicycles on top, police said. 

The female suspect then emerged from the eatery's restroom and was detained. 

At about the same time, another patrol officer saw the male -- with two bicycles -- on the 500 block of College Avenue, and stopped him, police said.

One of the recovered bikes was reportedly from the Wellesley Street residence, and the other was swiped earlier Sunday from a locked shed behind a home along 2000 Yale Street, police said.

Officers returned both bicycles to their owners.

The two suspects, meanwhile, showed signs of being under the influence of narcotics, and within the SUV, officers located crystal methamphetamine, a stun gun and a bag of burglary tools, police said.

Police arrested Gerkin and Solorzano-Rodriguez for two counts of felony burglary, one count of felony narcotics possession for sales, one count of felony conspiracy, illegal possession of a stun gun (a misdemeanor), possession of burglary tools (a misdemeanor), and for being under the influence of narcotics (a misdemeanor), reportes state. 

Additionally, police booked Gerkin for transporting narcotics (a felony), and Solorzano-Rodriguez for possession of drug paraphernalia (a misdemeanor), according to records.  

Officers recommend always locking your bicycle to a stationary object, and not just a wheel to the frame. 

Residents are encouraged to call the police immediately to report suspicious behavior, as the reporting party did in this case. 

The timely notification to police, plus the reporting party's quick-thinking to note the license plate of the suspect vehicle, was a major help to this investigation, authorities said.

Anyone who may have information about these incidents or suspects is asked to call our 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413.  Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984.