Mt. Hood Bicycle has once again sparked the attention of brazen thieves by
experiencing yet another smash and grab. Located in the Hoodland Shopping
Center in Welches, the bicycle shop suffered its second break-in in just four
months in the early morning hours of July 16. Open for business since the
beginning of 2018, Mt. Hood Bicycle has built its inventory from scratch and
its supply of upscale bicycles and accessories has proved tempting for
scroungers eager to lay their hands on the expensive gear.

George Wilson, proprietor of Mt Hood Bicycle, expressed his dismay at the
lack of police services on the Mountain during the nighttime hours, leaving
residents and businesses defenseless against increased crime in the area.

"After experiencing my second break-in in four months, I'm feeling a bit
powerless in my efforts to combat these events," Wilson said. "While I have
the thief on camera, he had a bandana over his face, while wearing a hoody
and black leather gloves. What is really troubling is this guy returned three
times in fifteen minutes, all the while knowing there would be no deterrent
and no witnesses between the hours of 2 a.m. - 6 a.m."

The video, which was shared on Facebook, shows the thief hauling his spoils
through the vandalized window and also prying open the cash drawer. He
escaped with two bicycles, an orange and sage green Niner/Jet RDO priced at
$4,200, and a metallic blue, medium-sized full suspension electric-assisted
bicycle valued at $3,750. More than eight hundred dollars was stolen from the
cash drawer.
Mt. Hood Glass completed repairing the broken glass before a Clackamas
County Deputy showed up to take an incident report, according to Wilson.
"We simply do not have adequate police coverage to battle these increased
break-ins. Each time these thieves are successful, they become more
emboldened," Wilson added.

Wilson explained he has insurance, but another incident would most certainly
result in the cancelation of his policy, without which he would be unable to
continue doing business. In addition to the on-site cameras, a beefed-up
security alarm system has since been added.

"Let's keep looking out for each other," Wilson said. “Please don't let these
thieves continue to steal and vandalize unopposed.”