Hunter
10/04/22
An Iowa City man has been arrested on a warrant stemming from a bike theft in early September.
According to police, 37-year-old Joseph Velazquez stole a secured bicycle from outside a residence on the 300 block of Haywood Drive somewhere around September 1st. On the 6th, property management located the bike, placed a new lock on it and saw Velazquez approach the bike. He reportedly saw the new lock and immediately turned to leave the premises. Property management took a photo of Velazquez walking away, and showed it to one of the tenants, who confirmed his identity and provided a screen shot of his social media. Police matched the screen shot with their own mugshots to positively identify Velazquez.
The tenant who confirmed his identity told officers that Velazquez had come by her apartment with the bike and that she positively identified him from the photo taken by property management.
A warrant was issued for the man’s arrest, and he was taken into custody Sunday afternoon. Due to previous theft convictions, he was charged with aggravated misdemeanor 3rd degree Theft and could be sentenced to up to two years in jail if convicted.