All summer long, Missoula Police have been following up on increased reports of bike theft in town and recently uncovered a stash with dozens and dozens of stolen bicycles.

"We devoted a lot of resources to this," said Missoula Police Public Information Officer Travis Welsh. "We eventually came up with an address, and when we went and made contact with the folks there, we realized that there were many, many bikes,  lots of bike parts and we began to seize those items due to the stolen reports that we had received."

So far, the Missoula County Attorney's office hasn't filed any charges against the bike theft suspects, so police cannot release any names or information on that front. There is however a resource for those who think their stolen bicycle might have been recovered.

"At last count, and keep in mind we are dealing with a lot of parts separated from frames, we have roughly around 70 bicycles," Welsh said. "We have established volunteers to receive phone calls and we are asking for people to call (406) 552-6311 and either speak with one of our volunteers there or leave a message so we can call you back."

It isn't clear whether the bikes were being sold or parted for cash, but the fact that many of the bikes had been dismantled into parts has led to claims that Missoula Police discovered a "chop shop."

 

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