by Tera Roberson
Staff Writer
During his shift at the University Center food court, an Aramark employee allegedly stopped his daily duties to steal a bicycle with university equipment.
According to Lt. Helia "Skip" Durant, Leonard "Leo" Robinson was arrested Tuesday by the University of Houston Police Department in connection with a complaint that he was seen with a student's bicycle.
As Chuck Chavis, a junior UH student, left the food court area of the UC Tuesday morning, he said he noticed a bicycle he had sold to his friend, University Studies junior Juan Arzu, being pushed away by the Aramark employee.
"On my way out of the food court area, I spotted (the) employee pushing a bike through the walkway leading towards the back service area," Chavis said.
After Chavis was sure the bicycle was the one he had sold to his friend, he said he went to Veterans Services where Arzu works to find out if he had authorized anyone to use his bicycle.
Unfortunately, Chavis said, Arzu wasn't in the office when he went to talk to him, but once Chavis informed one of Arzu's coworkers of the bicycle's movement, the two began a pursuit of the alleged thief.
"I looked through the purple double doors (leading to the mechanical room of the UC Satellite), and saw the bike with the broken cable hanging over the handle bars of the bike," Chavis said. The employee allegedly received the equipment to cut the lock from UHPD Cpl. Sarah Cortez.
Once Chavis spotted the bicycle, he said he informed UHPD of the possible theft and verified all of the information he had given about the theft. "They questioned me just to get verification."
Chavis alleges the employee told Cortez he needed to cut the lock of his own bicycle, which turned out to be Arzu's bicycle.
"The guy called Parking and Transportation to cut a lock and steal a bike," Chavis said.
Although UHPD would not verify if Cortez did in fact give the alleged bikenapper the equipment necessary to complete the theft, Durant said Cortez had a previous conversation with the employee, which aided them in his capture.
"(The Aramark employee) did have a previous conversation with Cpl. Cortez, and that's how she so readily recognized his description," Durant said. "(UHPD) got a call from the previous owner (of the bicycle). They located the employee, and he admitted to having the bicycle in the mechanical room inside the UC Satellite."
After arresting Robinson, Lt. Durant said the officers found marijuana on the employee, and he was charged with possession of narcotics, as well as a Class A misdemeanor for the theft of the bicycle.
The alleged thief is being held on a $2,000 bond for the narcotics charge and a $500 bond for the theft of the bike.