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Woman Tricks Man Who Allegedly Stole Bike Into Getting It Back

BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4)- A Boulder woman who had her bicycle stolen did her own detective work and got her bike back.

On Friday night, she had gone into a bar on Pearl Street to watch a game and when she returned, her bike was gone.

"I kind of second guessed myself whether I locked it up or not, but I definitely remember locking it up," said Catherine. "My bike is gone."

She uses the bike as transportation to school and work.

Catherine decided to check Craigslist and found the bike listed in the "For Sale" section.

"I knew that it was my bike because I have red handlebar tape and that's not standard," said Catherine. "I thought it was kind of a rookie move to put it on Craigslist for the same area."

She set up a meeting with the alleged thief, Denzel Crawford, at his apartment in Westminster. The police were on their way, but she needed to buy more time and asked to take the bike for a test drive.

"So I asked if I could take the bike for a ride. I started riding it. I was like, maybe I should just throw it in my car and get out of here. So I did and then I talked to police," said Catherine. "This is mine, I can take it. My seats are down in my car, it will fit perfectly. I never looked back."

Crawford, 18, faces theft charges. He told police he did take the bike, but that it was left unlocked.

"I'm glad that I got my bike back," said Catherine.

"Social media can be helpful in those cases, but really it's best to contact the police department and get them involved upfront," Kim Kobel with Boulder police said. "In this case things turned out well and she got her bike back safely, but you don't know who you're dealing with all the time. You are essentially going to a stranger's home."

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