A year and a half of detective work paid off for a New Zealand man when he traced his stolen all-terrain vehicle after it had been taken by thieves.
Kiwi Mark Gwerder had spent hours trawling websites specialising in second hand quad bikes when his beloved $4,000 quad bike was taken by a burglar from his home in Etham in 2009. He reported the theft to police, but after they were unable to come up with any leads, the trail of the missing quad bike went cold. However, he persisted, and continued to scour online auction sites in the hope that the thieves would make the mistake of trying to sell the bike online.
Thankfully, his persistence paid off when a dealership based in Te Awamutu, NZ, listed his all-terrain vehicle.
Mr Gwerder commented:
“There were quite a few bikes on the site but as soon as my bike came up I knew it was mine.
“I was glad to find it was a dealer … because they didn’t want stolen bikes on their lot.”
Mr Gwerder contacted the company to explain what had happened, and sent them a copy of the police report with a detailed description of the vehicle. The police also contacted the dealership and obtained a description of the man who sold them the bike.
28 Year-old Logan Grieg Pilcher was arrested, and received a $400 dollar fine for the theft.
As Mr Gwerder’s insurance company had already made a pay-out on the stolen bike, they technically owned it. However, he was able to buy it back during an auction.
Had the bike not been in the hands of a reputable dealer in used quad bikes, Mr Gwerder may never have seen it ever again.