PHOENIX – A sting operation leads police to the heart of an alleged theft ring — and you won’t believe how much stolen goods the suspect had piled in his backyard.
The bust happened Thursday at a home just east of 19th Avenue and south of Thunderbird.
According to police, the suspect would buy stolen bikes and then sell them online. From SkyFox, you can see around a hundred bikes piled up in the backyard.
“We have what resembles a bicycle shop set up in the backyard of this residence,” says Phoenix Police Sgt. Trent Crump.
Neighbors constantly complained to the city and police.
“Just a lot of traffic. People coming in out with bikes, new bikes, old bikes,” says neighbor Delanno Hardy.
“Oh my gosh we have seen traffic coming through here 24 hours a day 7 days a week,” says neighbor Buddy Tubinaghtewa.
In addition to those neighbors, police say people whose bikes were stolen found them at the suspect’s home after responding to online ads.
“Then we began an undercover operation at this location and we purchased stolen bicycles and firearms from here,” says Crump.
Police arrested 69-year-old Robert Borgeson. Borgeson spent nearly 10 years in prison for similar crimes. He was booked on a number of charges including drug charges.
Police say they found a small amount of meth and heroin inside the home.
Neighbors tell us they’ve been waiting to see police at this home for a while.
“Several times I have gone over there to see what is going on. And I have taken pictures of the backyard and there are just tons of bikes back there,” says Tubinaghtewa.
On top of all those bikes, police say the suspect was selling art too. They also arrested Julie Opsommer, 49, and booked her on a drug charge.
Police say they are going to have a hard time figuring out what was stolen and what wasn’t — that’s because victims don’t often report bike thefts to police.
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