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A homeless man suspected of stealing bikes at the University of Utah has been arrested by police. One call is all it took to stop Pedro Verdejo.
Officers say a witness saw Verdejo take a bike, so he called police then followed to make sure the suspect didn't get away.
Sgt. Arb Nordgran says officers caught up with him a short time later. "He had a bag with some stuff. Looked inside the bag, and saw some bolt cutters. And everything just fell into place," he said.
Verdejo is homeless and admitted to stealing nine bikes over 14 months. Most were found at pawn shops and will be returned to owners.
Nordgran says light rail hasn't helped them in finding many bike thieves. "They'll jump on the bike and they can be off campus in just a matter of minutes," he said.
He says it's a perfect cover and not far from locked up bikes.
E-mail: cwall@ksl.com
