They flirted back and forth with e-mail. "I started bragging about what I rode and he bragged about what he rode," Bennett said. Lutz added that the man liked to chat about his bicycle, telling him he bought it after seeing the model used in the Tour de France.
Finally, they set up a time to meet in Baltimore: Sept. 2 at noon.
Lutz pretended to be Bennett's brother and they went inside the Cross Street rowhouse. They talked with the suspect and she said he went to the basement and brought up the SL2. "I nodded to Officer Lutz and he called for backup," Bennett said. Four city police officers stormed in and arrested the man.
Police identified the suspect as Barry Pugh of the 400 block of E. Cross St. I left a business card at his house but haven't heard from him. After he was arrested, he was extradited to Virginia and released on bail pending trial. He still faces a theft charge here in connection with the bike missing from Light Street Cycles.
For Lutz, it was a rare opportunity for a patrol officer to play detective and see a case through from the initial report to the undercover bust. As a bicyclist himself, Lutz said, it is heartening to see the Specialized SL2 back at the store and up for sale and an arrest that he said could lead to a broader case of stolen bike parts being sold online.
Of course, the bike is now considered used. Bennett even has a sign next to it explaining the case so buyers will know the SL2's strange odyssey.
The bicycle is cheaper now, too - it can be yours for only $6,000.
