Teen struggles to retrieve stolen bike after a year in TPD’s impound

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - A serial dirt bike thief stole a Defiance teen’s bike last summer. He thought the bike was long gone until it resurfaced on the internet.

Last summer, Dominick Humes met up with a man in Toledo to sell his bike. The man, Devonte Pride, handed Humes an envelope and drove off on the bike. In the envelope was only $12. Pride was eventually caught and put behind bars for being a serial dirt bike thief.

Humes thought his dirt bike was lost forever. Until his cousin was looking on Facebook Marketplace and saw something familiar.

“He had texted me the link to the Marketplace ad,” says Humes. “I opened it up and I couldn’t believe it, it was the bike.”

Humes says the seller of the dirt bike had got it from a scrap yard, and the scrap yard had found the bike in Toledo Police’s impound lot. He got ahold of police and said TPD had the stolen bike the whole time.

“The impound lot had had it, from what I’ve been told, since August of last year,” said Humes. “I didn’t get notified, I didn’t get a word like ‘hey this bike could be part of your case. Do you want to come look at it?’ Nothing. I had no clue it was actually there.”

Humes said the bike on Facebook Marketplace is undoubtedly his bike. He said there are specific parts of the bike that match, including the VIN. But there was a problem because of a design flaw.

“They eventually looked at the VIN to see if they could if they could match up anything, but where the clutch cable had rubbed, the digits were worn away,” said Humes. “It is considered a tampered, unreadable VIN, so they ended up scrapping it.”

Humes said that’s how the stolen bike ended up in the scrap yard where the Facebook seller found it. Humes said he’s frustrated because no one will help him get his bike back that he paid thousands of dollars for.

“The sergeant pretty much told us that there was nothing much we could do because the VIN was tampered with, but after talking to my boss here who owns the Honda dealership, for Honda bikes, you need the last four digits,” said Humes. “They’re the most important digits, and all those digits are there.”

Humes’ request is simple: “I just want the bike back; that’s all I want. I have nothing to do; riding is my hobby. I just want it back.”

Humes and his dad continue to talk to the seller about getting the bike back, but the seller isn’t budging because he says he got the bike fair and square.

We have also reached out to Toledo Police and have yet to receive a response.

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