SACRAMENTO—Obviously in need of transportation, a Sacramento serial bicycle thief was arrested for the third time on Saturday, July 25 for stealing a “bait bike”.
Police quickly spotted John Edgar Lewis Kirkman, 35, in the area of 15th and P Streets in midtown at approximately 6:15 p.m. Saturday. He was charged with petty theft and possession of stolen property. Booking records show he was charged again on Monday with attempted theft, possession of burglary tools, and violating his probation. Those additional charges may have been related to the arrest on Saturday.
Just this past April, Kirkman, who has a tattoo on his forehead that reads “Evil Wayz,” was arrested for allegedly stealing another decoy bicycle—a two-wheeler parked as a target for would-be thieves. He was charged with having burglary tools then as well.
The bait bike program involves placing bikes in random spots at different times in midtown and locking them up, then waiting for their built-in GPS systems to alert officers that one has been taken. Authorities say that by August of last year, this program had resulted in more than 50 arrests, and that bicycle theft had dropped 25 percent.
Kirkman’s reported address is a home in North Sacramento about 5 miles from where he was arrested with the stolen bike.
Sacramento police offer an online service for individuals to register their bikes and enhance the chances of recovering a stolen bike. Registration is available at rideon.sacpd.org. Tips on how to prevent bike theft, including choosing a proper lock and using it effectively, are also available from Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates at sacbike.org.
Police did not specify when the third prior bait bike theft happened, but Kirkman, who describes his occupation as an animal trainer, has a long record of arrests in the Sacramento area. The earliest available records, going back to 2005, show that he was already on probation when he was arrested for vehicle theft and possession of stolen property. In September of 2006 he was charged with possession of stolen property again. In November of 2008 he was booked for transportation of a controlled substance, and a year later for possession of marijuana and violating parole. He faced another parole violation in August of 2010.
In February of 2012 he was arrested once again for vehicle theft, and charged with committing a “3rd strike” felony. However, released on AB 109 under supervision, he was arrested again twice, in 2013 and 2014, for violating the terms of his community supervision. Then in May of 2014 he was charged with theft, petty theft with priors, and possession of stolen property and burglary tools. (That may have been the previous bait-bike arrest.) Later in 2014 he was arrested for DUI and driving on a suspended license, and he faced another DUI charge in March of this year. With all that going on, he didn’t likely have much time for training animals.
