Oct. 24, 2011: HPD uncovers $200K in stolen motorcycle parts

A treasure trove of stolen motorcycle parts, mostly from Harley-Davidson models, valued at close to $200,000, have been recovered from a unit at Cheap Storage in Hudson.

Hudson Police Department Det. Shawn Pettee and other members of the department executed a search warrant on the unit located on Hosford Street on Oct. 8. The tip came from the Minneapolis Police Department but multiple agencies are involved in the ongoing investigation including police from St. Paul, North St. Paul and Washington County.

Pettee said that the stolen bikes were likely “chopped” at another location and then the parts were transported to Hudson for storage. The parts, with the serial or registration numbers removed, could be sold online or at swap meets or in custom parts stores. Based on the inventory in the unit, Pettee estimated that there are parts from around a dozen different motorcycles including thousands of dollars in “after-market” parts like handlebars and exhaust pipes.

Without serial numbers, identification is more difficult, but four of the bikes have already been claimed by their owners. “These people know their bikes down to the smallest scratch or dent and we’re using those kinds of things to identify them. They also have nice photos of them and we’ve been able to match several of them to their miscellaneous parts,” said Pettee.

Authorities are hoping that area owners missing a bike will check with them and they expect to find even more information when a representative of the National Insurance Crimes Bureau inspects the parts over the next few days. The NICB registers stolen vehicles and works with law enforcement on recovery.

Pettee said the person who rents the storage unit was notified of the search warrant but he has not yet been taken into custody. He does not live in Hudson.

The owners of the storage facility have cooperated fully with police and are not involved in the case.

Anyone who thinks parts of their motorcycle may be among the stolen property or who has any information related to the investigation should contact Pettee at the HPD at (715)386-4771.

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