THE BIKE DISAPPEARED

Jane McCullah and her family took a stroll through their Preston Hollow North neighborhood. The nice weather we experienced through December made outdoor activities possible even late in the year.

The Victim: Jane McCullah

The Crime: Theft

Date: Sunday, Dec. 16

Time: 3 p.m.

Location: 6300 block of Pemberton

McCullah’s daughter rode along on her bicycle — a pink Barbie bike that was a hand-me-down from her older sister. She zigged and zagged along on the sidewalk. But after a while, her young legs became a bit tired. The family left the bike in a neighbor’s yard and would come back soon and pick it up.

When they drove by 20 minutes later, the Barbie bike was gone. The loss was not a lot in monetary terms, but it was disappointing that someone would steal a child’s bike.

“We still feel violated even though it wasn’t our wisest decision,” McCullah says of leaving the bicycle behind.

While the bike has not been found yet, McCullah says her daughter has now moved up to her big brother’s former bicycle.

Bicycles are one of the most common targets of thieves. The National Bike Registry notes this about bicycle thefts: “While many types of property theft have declined in recent years, bicycle theft is on the rise according to FBI statistics. The increasing popularity of bicycling as a sport and a means of transportation have made bicycles an easy target for thieves. It is estimated that over 1.5 million bicycles are stolen every year.”

Lt. Andy Harvey of the Dallas Police North Central Patrol Division says thieves are always looking for easy targets, so they drive around looking for anything unattended, such as bikes, packages, open garages, etc. He says keeping a copy of a bike’s serial number, at the very minimum, can assist the detective assigned to the case with recovering the property.

“The best way is to try and prevent these types of crimes by securing property when possible and calling 911 with any suspicious activity in your neighborhood.”

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4,400 1:30

Time of afternoon when two men broke into a house in the 7000 block of Brookshire Drive Jan. 9, held one of the housecleaners at gunpoint and took off with $258,800 worth of jewelry, guns, cash and camera equipment

$60/HR.