If you’ve already been found guilty of stealing a bicycle and have another one stored away, it’s probably wise to leave it alone.
A “prolific offender” in North Vancouver learned that lesson the hard way after leading RCMP officers to a second stolen bicycle Thursday, just days after he was convicted of the same crime.
Police said Friday they first laid charges against Matthew James Hurren on May 28, a day after two mountain bikes were reported stolen from a home in Deep Cove.
WATCH: (Aired Oct. 29, 2018) Metro Vancouver cops leading the way in fighting bike theft
The bikes were both secured with a lock on the back of a vehicle parked at the home, RCMP said.
Hurren was allegedly found riding one of the bikes near Cates Park, and was taken into custody at the scene. He was charged with one count of possession of stolen property and one count of theft under $5,000.
At his court appearance on June 3, he was found guilty and sentenced to 12 months probation, which required him to not be found in Deep Cove or in possession of any bicycles.
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But on Thursday, police said Hurren was followed by officers from the RCMP Strike Force Unit to Myrtle Park in Deep Cove, where he allegedly retrieved a bicycle from some bushes.
Police said the bike is the second one stolen on May 27.
“When we talk about targeting prolific offenders, this is what we mean. This is intelligence-led policing,” North Vancouver RCMP Sgt. Peter DeVries said in a news release.
“We discovered that Deep Cove has been hit pretty hard with bike thefts in the last few weeks, and these arrests are a good example of how we use crime trend data to direct our resources in effective ways.”
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Hurren now faces a count of possession of stolen property over $5,000, along with charges for breaching the conditions of his parole.
His next court date is set for June 10.
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