Andersonville Bike Thief Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison

By Adeshina Emmanuel on February 5, 2014 8:41am

ANDERSONVILLE — Eight years in prison — that's the sentence handed this week to a man who was caught on a surveillance camera stealing a bike from an Andersonville home.

A video posted to YouTube in October captured him in the 1400 block of North Summerdale Avenue breaking into a locked backyard and then a garage before taking the bike and riding off down an alley.

The suspect, 51-year-old Juan Mora, who was arrested about three weeks later, was recognized by some viewers and had been seen around the neighborhood, according to Ben Davis, the Andersonville man whose wife's bike was stolen from the Summerdale Avenue home that day.

Davis is the one who uploaded footage of the crime to the Internet after adding in funny captions and setting the video to electronic music band Freezepop's song "Bike Thief."

The star of the video turned out to be Mora, of the 1400 block of South Canal Street, who pleaded guilty to the 2013 residential burglary in Cook County Circuit Court and was sentenced by Judge Larry Axelrod to eight years in prison, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.

Before he entered the plea, Mora had already been convicted of nine felonies since 1993, according to the Circuit Court of Cook County. Most the convictions were for residential burglaries, including cases in 2009 and 2010.

When he first made the video, Davis' main purpose wasn't to catch Mora.

It "was to make my wife feel better," he said.

"It was to make her laugh," Davis said. "It was her bike that got stolen, it was she who felt the most violated as she was at home on maternity leave at the time, only 20 feet away from this guy as he was breaking into our garage."

She thought the video was funny, but had mixed feelings about Mora's sentence. Davis did too.

"The honest truth is I'm conflicted about the sentence," Davis said. "On the face of it, an eight-year sentence is an awfully long time for stealing a bike, granted, it's really a four-year sentence when you take into account time off for good behavior."

Slideshow  Eight years in prison — that's the sentence handed this week to a man who was  caught on a surveillance camera  stealing a bike from an Andersonville home. An Andersonville man caught someone on camera stealing his wife's bike. View Full Caption However, Mora's nine prior convictions makes it seem more "reasonable," he said.

"This guy has been stealing and going to jail for most of his adult life," Davis said. "He does have a story, and it's a sad story. It makes the bike part of it seem somewhat insignificant."

Not only did Davis post the video that helped apprehend Mora, he confronted the man and made the call that led to his arrest.

Davis reposted the video of the bike theft on social media website Nextdoor.com — and a neighbor said he'd seen the suspect at a liquor store at Hollywood and Clark. One night, on his way home from work, Davis decided to drive by the area his neighbor had mentioned.

He said he was sitting on a street corner in his car when he saw Mora, wearing the exact same clothes he was wearing in the video captured three weeks earlier.

Davis confronted him, pulled out his cell phone and showed Mora pictures from the video —  "and he admitted it," Davis said. Davis said he called the police and "they arrived very quickly," to arrest Mora.

"What I did in confronting him was not very smart with a wife and kids back home, but it all fortunately went down okay and he turned out to not be a violent guy, Davis said.

Attempts to reach Mora's family and public defender on Tuesday were unsuccessful.

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20140205/uptown/andersonville-bike-t...

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Permalink Reply by Christine (5.0) on February 5, 2014 at 6:12am

8 years for all bike thieves, I say.  And community service for life.  And public floggings.  Possibly public hangings; isn't that what they did to horse thieves in the west?

Permalink Reply by Apie (11) on February 5, 2014 at 6:23am

It is a sad story, I agree with Davis, that the bike part of it seems somewhat insignificant to the troubles this non-violent guy probably has.   I'd have mixed feelings as well.

Permalink Reply by Duppie on February 5, 2014 at 12:42pm

hahaha.

Jeff Schneider said:

Andersonville IMO is a little more genteel than most of our neighborhoods.  I could imagine the thief saying, "Well played, Sir!" to Mr. Davis as they waited together for the arrival of the constabulary...

h' 1.0 said:

Really stupid move to confront the thief and show him cell phone video, and huge stroke of luck that the cops actually showed up.

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on February 6, 2014 at 4:21am

That much time in prison seems harsh but at the same time, it wasn't on the street, he broke into their garage. What would have happened if one of them walked in on him?

Do we know if he had any prior convictions? It's too bad something like this can't involve a community service like time working at West Town or something benefiting the bike community.

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on February 6, 2014 at 4:23am

Great idea.  I do think we need tougher laws to "motivate' (can't think of the word), not to steal.  Not like Singapore, but harsher than the normal conviction.

Yasmeen said:

Do we know if he had any prior convictions? It's too bad something like this can't involve a community service like time working at West Town or something benefiting the bike community.

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on February 6, 2014 at 4:32am

According to the artcle posted here: Before he entered the plea, Mora had already been convicted of nine felonies since 1993, according to the Circuit Court of Cook County. Most the convictions were for residential burglaries, including cases in 2009 and 2010.

Yasmeen said:

Do we know if he had any prior convictions? 

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on February 6, 2014 at 4:35am

Thanks, that makes much more sense now. 

Gene Tenner said:

According to the artcle posted here: Before he entered the plea, Mora had already been convicted of nine felonies since 1993, according to the Circuit Court of Cook County. Most the convictions were for residential burglaries, including cases in 2009 and 2010.

Yasmeen said:

Do we know if he had any prior convictions? 

Permalink Reply by Duppie on February 6, 2014 at 8:28am

Let's quarter him. By bike...

bicycle quartering

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on February 6, 2014 at 10:56am

A bike are not "just an object". They are also symbols that we can break free from the destructiveness of car-culture. Bike theft is an attack on our practice of sustainability and affront against hope. Bike theft is wrong on a lot of levels, the least of which is that it is a theft of a physical object.

Davis Moore said:

He's a career criminal, whose specialty is B&E, which is a more severe crime than simple felony theft, but public hangings, flogging? Really? Get a grip.

Yeah, yeah our bikes are special little snowflakes. They're also just an object. He'll do 4 yrs tops, in federal prison, which with the psychic, emotional and physical damage done by our prison system, with it's focus on for profit incarceration as a punitive, rather than restorative or rehabilitative focus, is no walk in the park. But even still, for someone whose had that many convictions and whose life is probably so bottomed out, being inside prison, where you're fed, clothed and housed, is probably not the least desirable thing ever.

But this draconian sentiment that all bike thieves must hang is a little obsessive. We're not talking about rape or murder here.

Permalink Reply by Christine (5.0) on February 6, 2014 at 11:13am

Half sardonic, half serious.  But then, I'm a fan of harsher punishments for a lot of crimes, not just those which are bicycle related (although most of them are bicycle related).  But that's another topic altogether.

As for bikes being "just objects," it has already been pointed out that, emotionally, they are more than that.  But on a practical level, they are more than that as well.  Steal a person's TV, their Xbox, their jewelry... ok, it's horrible.  For the jewelry, it may be irreplacable, if it's an heirloom.  But life goes on.  You collect your property insurance, pay the deductible, and move on.

But bicycles are, for most of us, practical objects.  Whether it's ill timing which means that you can't participate in an expensive event you had planned for (imagine waking up on the morning of Bike the Drive to find yourself without wheels!  Or worse, before a coveted trip to RAGBRI!), or the "simple" inconvenience of having your means of transportation removed.  My bicycle is how I get to work, to social activities, to the grocery store.  Without it, my life is placed on hold.  Yes, public trans and Divvy help fill the gap.  But they are sorry seconds.

And thus, I'm all for mandatory hangings in Daley Plaza for Grand Theft Bicycle.  Because heaven forbid my life be inconvenienced for a few days while I shop for a new bike.  Once a person proves through bike theft that they are utterly incompatible with the maintenance of a civil society, remove them from that society with deft incivility.  

On a semi-related note, I'm reminded of a Gilbert and Sullivan quote:

To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock,  
In a pestilential prison, with a life-long lock,   
Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock,   
From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block!


Davis Moore said:

I don't assume she's any more literal about it than anyone else advocating violence on the internet, but i also don't think she was being facetious or sardonic. This default lynch mob attitude about bike thieves is pretty prevalent across this and other boards and I get tired of that sort of echo chamber.

Permalink Reply by Paul Michael Ignacio on February 6, 2014 at 12:30pm

Christine, I'm sure you've seen Mike Leigh's film 'Topsy Turvy', about Gilbert and Sullivan during the creation of 'The Mikado'?  If not, please do - there's a scene with the performers rehearsing those tricky triplets!

Permalink Reply by Christine (5.0) on February 6, 2014 at 12:49pm

I have not!  I haven't even heard of it!  I'll have to watch it next time I see my grandfather (he is the one who introduced me to Gilbert and Sullivan).

Paul Michael Ignacio said:

Christine, I'm sure you've seen Mike Leigh's film 'Topsy Turvy', about Gilbert and Sullivan during the creation of 'The Mikado'?  If not, please do - there's a scene with the performers rehearsing those tricky triplets!

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