Boulder, Colo., authorities have identified a man arrested on suspicion of felony theft in an off-beat bicycle theft case.
On April Fools’ Day, a man walked into a bike shop in Boulder, toting a decidedly conspicuous kit.
What he did would have made a lot more sense if it was an elaborate joke — unfortunately for the individual, the charges he now faces are dead serious.
The man arrived at downtown Boulder’s Full Cycle bikes with a $12,000 e-bike with a flat tire, and bolt cutters sticking out of his backpack in plain sight.
Security cameras at the shop captured the individual’s blatant appearance. Shop owner Russ Chandler called the police, and within hours authorities arrested him.
High-End Bike Thief ID’d and Charged
The Boulder Police Department has since identified the man as 23-year-old Sean Hyche. He currently faces three felony charges for two separate bike theft incidents. The e-bike he brought into Full Cycle, authorities allege, came from a robbery at Driven Technologies headquarters, where it and two other bikes with prototype shaft drive train technology went missing the night before the arrest.
Full Cycle and Driven are both located in downtown Boulder, just 2 miles apart.
In total, the claimed loss for Driven amounted to $82,000. Hyche faces charges of felony theft between $5,000 and $20,000, as well as second-degree assault causing serious bodily injury and robbery. Boulder police stated the charges relate to the “expensive bike burglary and another incident involving the theft/robbery of another bike.”
Separately, the Boulder County Jail confirmed Hyche is also charged with first-degree aggravated motor vehicle theft — another felony.
The police investigation continues as Hyche awaits trial. Police previously stated that the arrest led them to one of the stolen prototype bikes, while a separate tip helped them recover the other. Various other stolen property, including other bikes, electronics, and packages from vehicles, also surfaced after the arrest.
Hyche’s assault charges relate to an incident where he allegedly stole multiple bikes from a woman. Boulder officials said that the woman later saw him riding one of the bikes and confronted him. When she did, they say, Hyche assaulted her.
As of Monday, he was still in custody at the Boulder County Jail.
