Larry Krystkowiak, the head men’s basketball coach at Utah took time to practice law enforcement as he confronted and chased a man believed to be a bike thief last Saturday morning outside the Huntsman Center.
It was indeed a bad day for the alleged thief as the basketball coach who stood 6 foot 9 was bent on chasing him if the need arises. The suspect had the gall to ask the coach’s intention for which the coach answered affirmatively with a promise of tackling him during the chase.
The man got the coach’s attention as he was riding another bike while holding or towing another bike. The coach decided to confront the man and the kind of answers he got aroused his suspicion that the biker was not telling the truth. Larry Krystkowiak forced him to sit on the sidewalk and called campus police, who discovered five stolen phones in his bag upon arrival, the article stated.
The article stated that Krystkowiak’s regular job is leading Utah into its third season with him at the helm as coach. The Utes finished last year with a 15-18 record while winning four of their last five games, including two in the Pac-12 Tournament. He is reported to be looking for his first winning season with Utah.
The incident happened as he was walking to the basketball office to prepare for basketball practice .The Utes practice officially started on Friday afternoon in preparation of the new season, now five weeks away.
The article added that on twitter, Krystkowiak referred to himself as Barney Fife, after the deputy sheriff character in the classic television show Andy Griffith.
It was a lucky day for the owner of that bicycle that was about to be stolen. He has Larry Krystkowiak as the person to thank for.
Another bicycle owner got Craigslist to thank for in the recovery of his bike. The man who lost his bike was actually a South Lake City shop owner. The bike that was stolen is a display in his shop and was worth $4000. The thief was reported to have smashed the front display window using a rock during the night. The shop owner learned about the incident from the police. The shop owner was discouraged but phoned his Trek sales rep in Wisconsin who sent email alerts to other bike stores in the region. He also put a warning on craigslist. According to the report, the bike owner got the bike back just after an hour of Craigslist posting.
It was learned that with police assistance, the bike thief was apprehended and the bike was recovered. The bike got a flat tire and some scratches but was reported in good condition.
Craigslist is a classified advertisements website that started in 1995. It has sections devoted to jobs, housing, and personals ads for items for sale, help wanted, services, community, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums. Stolen bikes can be announced in Craigslist.
Seriously bike owners must take extra precautions in keeping their bikes safe from thieves. Here are some suggestions:
- Keep a record of the serial number of your bike frame. This is useful in tracking and identifying your bike.
- Take a picture of your bike so that you will a more accurate description. Do not rely on memory alone.
- Register your bike with the National Bike Registry so that it can be returned to you when police recovers it.
- Get a more reliable lock for your bike. Choose a more study type that does not allow much space for cutting tools or any tools to work on.
- Lock your bike in a secured post in a place that is visible to many people.
- Use secure storage facilities. Salt Lake City has gone the extra mile and installed indoor storage at the Utah Intermodal Hub as well as rentable bike lockers at numerous TRAX stations.
Keep your fingers crossed that your bike will not be stolen. Accept the fact that if you have an expensive bike somebody might be interested to take it away from you when the opportunity is present.
If you have been in a cycling accident or another accident, please contact us for a free consultation at Christensen and Hymas; 801-506-0800.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.