“Shortly after they left, I noticed the bike was missing,” she told this news outlet Monday. “I reviewed the camera system, confirming that, clearly, one of the males had taken the bike.”
Talley, who took over the bike shop in January, said she immediately contacted Miamisburg Police Department, and then her daughter, asking her to post images captured via a video camera system to the store’s Facebook page and request help in locating the bicycle.
The owner of another local bicycle shop also “reached out with empathy” and shared the post with his customer community, she said.
Whitman’s Bike Way Bike Shop’s page quickly received numerous messages informing Talley of the name of two of the four suspects, along with their addresses, relative names, hang-out places and more, Talley said.
On Saturday, she decided “on a whim” to contact the mother of one of the suspects.
“Talking with her mother-to-mother, she admitted that her son had indeed been in the store and was part of the crime,” she said. “I asked that she do the right thing (she’s also a business owner) to demand upon her son to return the bike by Saturday afternoon.”
The bike was sold to another individual, requiring the thieves to purchase it back in order to return it to the store, which occurred about 5 p.m. Saturday, Talley said.
“It was amazing and I feel honored that so many people were forthcoming with information in attempt to help with the return of the bicycle,” she said.
Miamisburg Police Department said Tuesday that it has completed its investigation and the case is being referred to the Miamisburg Prosecutor’s Office for an evaluation of the charges.
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