Wellesley Police, with help from a heads-up victim, have tracked down an alleged bike thief in town via a Craigslist ad. The police recovered a Trek mountain bike worth $500-plus that was stolen recently from outside a Wellesley College apartment building. The victim said she saw a similar bike for sale by a Wellesley resident on Craiglist, so the cops arranged to meet the seller at Wellesley Free Library to buy the bike, not letting him know of course that they were police officers. The seller figured out that something was up when he saw the police uniforms, but was questioned and arrested.

This isn’t the first time Wellesley Police have made an arrest after following a Craigslist trail. Last year they shut down a shady massage parlor in town after spotting ads on Craigslist.

As Officer Carrasquillo talked to the suspect, the man admitted that he had stolen the bike several days before. The suspect, who was cooperative, then brought Officer Carrasquillo and Rosenberg to a nearby apartment building, where they recovered the stolen bike.

The suspect, identified as 41 year old Stephen Rockett, of Wellesley, was placed under arrest for receiving stolen property over $250. He was arraigned in Dedham District Court.

Officers Carrasquillo and Rosenberg were able to return the bike to the victim shortly after the arrest. The cooperation between the victim and the police department, along with Officer Carrasquillo’s quick and fluid investigative tactics directly resulted in the arrest of the suspect and recovery of the stolen bike.