Mill Valley: Two Arrests Made in Relation to Theft of $8,000 Mountain Bike
– by Jim Emerson
MILL VALLEY, CA — Officers with Mill Valley Police Department recently made two arrests and recovered an $8,000 high-end mountain bike that had been reported stolen. The arrests on January 16th culminated from a multi-agency collaboration, and the stolen mountain bike was found in Sonoma County.
Mill Valley officers arrested Robert J. Roberts, 48, a transient who frequents the North Bay area. They also arrested Jennifer Merchant, 48, of Santa Rosa. Both suspects are no longer in custody, pending further review of potential charges.
The youth victim’s mountain bike went missing during the evening of January 11. It was stolen from a residential area of Mill Valley. This crime happened on the 500 Block of East Blithedale Avenue.
A Mill Valley patrol officer later recalled seeing a mountain bike perched on top of car, near where the theft happened. This distinctive mountain bike stood out in the officer’s memory, because of its neon yellow color.
Videos recorded by security cameras in the vicinity enabled investigators to identify the car. Santa Rosa and Petaluma police helped Mill Valley PD during a weeklong investigation.
The vehicle was tracked to Santa Rosa, where Santa Rosa police stopped it for a traffic code violation. Roberts and Merchant were inside the vehicle. They were found in possession of the stolen mountain bike, and detained.
Roberts and Merchant were transported from Santa Rosa to Marin County Jail in San Rafael. They were both booked on suspicion of grand theft PC 487, and conspiracy to commit crime PC 182.
The bright yellow mountain bike was returned to its rightful owner.
