A bike theft suspect was arrested on Nov. 8 after fleeing from Sonoma State University police officers.

The suspect, 47-year-old Shane Dion Kee, was commanded to stop by Sonoma State Police Corporal Neal Mackenzie after committing a vehicle code violation while riding a bike on Redwood Circle near the Green Music Center. Kee reportedly fled to the Brookfield Homes construction area on Rohnert Park Expressway across from the university and abandoned the stolen bike.

The suspect hid among the tall grass of the construction area before being located and apprehended by Mackenzie with the help of Sonoma State Police Officer Don Hinton. Kee is now in the custody of the Sonoma County jail with numerous criminal charges.

There has been no sighting of Sean Kelly, another bike thief suspect whose warrant for his arrest was sent out over a month ago.   

“The warrant is still valid, but he has been avoiding/evading us,” said Nathan Johnson, chief of police at Sonoma State in an email statement.

In the 2014/2015 academic year alone there were 77 bike thefts reported to campus police services, compared to 37 reported the year prior.

According to Associated Students, the thefts occur predominantly in residential communities. As a result of the incline in thefts, the senate discussed a resolution last Friday to implement more secure bike racks in the housing communities on campus.

Other college campuses, such as UC Davis, CSU Chico and UC Santa Barbara have installed bike racks that allow users to lock both the bicycle frame and front tire onto the rack.
Police Services encourages students to use their bike registration program in order to better find a missing bike in the event of a theft.