Waumbek
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I once met a bear in the ADKs who stole a backpacker's car keys (which happened to be in the pack that the bear dragged off into the woods never to be seen again), but I never heard of a bear who stole a bike before. It was a road bike, by the way.
From this week's Coos County Democrat:
Thief “bearly” escapes with life
By John Gardiner
TWIN MOUNTAIN — It was a typical night for Corporal Bill Smalley of the Carroll Police Department, the calls for service not unlike those of every other night shift occurring during a busy summer month. There was a complaint by a motorist of youths riding their bikes in traffic across busy Route 3, almost causing an accident. There was the call of a prowling bear on Harmony Hill, circling the house and unnerving the occupants as he stood leering into the windows.
Another call was received: a report of erratic operation. A cell caller advised of a possible drunk driver heading north on Route 3 from Bethlehem. Cpl. Smalley and a state trooper in the area began searching for the vehicle. It was soon spotted, the driver trying to escape the clutches of the law by driving into a motel driveway. The ruse didn’t work. After failing several sobriety tests, the operator was taken away to headquarters for a breath test.
Cpl. Smalley stood by, awaiting the arrival of a tow truck to remove the trespassing vehicle belonging to the intoxicated driver. The next call left him staring at the radio. It was 2107 hours (9:07 for you civilians) when the dispatcher relayed the call: “Cell caller reports a bear has stolen a bicycle. The caller is with the victim by the Jersey barriers on Fieldstone Lane.”
It took a moment for Cpl.Smalley to recover, but his training and experience kicked in and he began to glance around in search of that bear with the bike. Fieldstone Lane runs by the Carroll Police Station and is north of the Route 302 intersection; Cpl. Smalley was just south of that intersection on Route 3 — the bear could easily come into view at any moment, trying to make good his escape.
Cpl. Smalley put the cruiser in gear and headed to the scene. He pulled up to observe the caller calmly sitting in her vehicle and the victim stuffing his tent back into its bag. The victim, a Boston resident Cpl. Smalley described as a “real granola,” advised that he had left his home a few days earlier to ride the countryside of northern New England. He had driven into Vermont up to the Canadian border, through Beecher Falls, and into New Hampshire. He made his way to The Balsams, then down 13-Mile Woods to his stop in Twin Mountain. He reported that he had camped in the woods every night by the side of the road. He was displeased with the ‘shabby’ treatment he had received by the natives in Twin Mountain.
He explained that he had just set up his tent, when out of a thicket sprang a bear. The bear grabbed his bike and carried it off into the woods. Now what was he to do? The bear had stolen his only means of transportation and all his food, 35 pounds of grains and nuts.
Calls to the Fish and Game Department, the normal investigators of bruin escapades and crime, went unanswered. Undeterred, Cpl. Smalley swung into action. He retrieved his rifle from the cruiser and set off in pursuit of the thief. He soon found the bold bruin with the purloined bike.
Now the bear might have been real talented, being able to ride a bicycle and all, but he was not very smart. This wasn’t a fancy mountain bike. This was a road bike — real skinny tires equipped with panniers or saddlebags, and not built for efficient transportation through woods and fields. The bear was having real difficulty getting the bike through the trees. If he’d stayed on pavement, who knows how far he could have gone before he was caught or he abandoned the bike in some distant vale.
But now he was caught “bear handed” so to speak. “Freeze,” cried Cpl. Smalley as he raised his rifle to take aim. That was it! This bear didn’t need a bicycle, even though it was a nice shiny model; he still had four good legs and it was time to go. He beat feet and disappeared before Cpl. Smalley could make the capture. The bear escaped. But Cpl. Smalley had recovered the bike, sans the 35 pounds of granola.
The victim was marred by his experience and declined any further hospitality from the natives in Twin Mountain. He requested that Cpl. Smalley give him an escort out of town. Last seen he was tenting at the Mt. Cleveland overlook along Route 3 above Franconia Notch.
Now on to the next call, a 911 hang-up on Blueberry Hill Road. Only an hour and a half left of this shift. Sometimes life is truly stranger than fiction.
— John Gardiner is Carroll’s Chief of Police. The information for this article was drawn from the police log and a verbal report that Cpl. Smalley made to him.
From this week's Coos County Democrat:
Thief “bearly” escapes with life
By John Gardiner
TWIN MOUNTAIN — It was a typical night for Corporal Bill Smalley of the Carroll Police Department, the calls for service not unlike those of every other night shift occurring during a busy summer month. There was a complaint by a motorist of youths riding their bikes in traffic across busy Route 3, almost causing an accident. There was the call of a prowling bear on Harmony Hill, circling the house and unnerving the occupants as he stood leering into the windows.
Another call was received: a report of erratic operation. A cell caller advised of a possible drunk driver heading north on Route 3 from Bethlehem. Cpl. Smalley and a state trooper in the area began searching for the vehicle. It was soon spotted, the driver trying to escape the clutches of the law by driving into a motel driveway. The ruse didn’t work. After failing several sobriety tests, the operator was taken away to headquarters for a breath test.
Cpl. Smalley stood by, awaiting the arrival of a tow truck to remove the trespassing vehicle belonging to the intoxicated driver. The next call left him staring at the radio. It was 2107 hours (9:07 for you civilians) when the dispatcher relayed the call: “Cell caller reports a bear has stolen a bicycle. The caller is with the victim by the Jersey barriers on Fieldstone Lane.”
It took a moment for Cpl.Smalley to recover, but his training and experience kicked in and he began to glance around in search of that bear with the bike. Fieldstone Lane runs by the Carroll Police Station and is north of the Route 302 intersection; Cpl. Smalley was just south of that intersection on Route 3 — the bear could easily come into view at any moment, trying to make good his escape.
Cpl. Smalley put the cruiser in gear and headed to the scene. He pulled up to observe the caller calmly sitting in her vehicle and the victim stuffing his tent back into its bag. The victim, a Boston resident Cpl. Smalley described as a “real granola,” advised that he had left his home a few days earlier to ride the countryside of northern New England. He had driven into Vermont up to the Canadian border, through Beecher Falls, and into New Hampshire. He made his way to The Balsams, then down 13-Mile Woods to his stop in Twin Mountain. He reported that he had camped in the woods every night by the side of the road. He was displeased with the ‘shabby’ treatment he had received by the natives in Twin Mountain.
He explained that he had just set up his tent, when out of a thicket sprang a bear. The bear grabbed his bike and carried it off into the woods. Now what was he to do? The bear had stolen his only means of transportation and all his food, 35 pounds of grains and nuts.
Calls to the Fish and Game Department, the normal investigators of bruin escapades and crime, went unanswered. Undeterred, Cpl. Smalley swung into action. He retrieved his rifle from the cruiser and set off in pursuit of the thief. He soon found the bold bruin with the purloined bike.
Now the bear might have been real talented, being able to ride a bicycle and all, but he was not very smart. This wasn’t a fancy mountain bike. This was a road bike — real skinny tires equipped with panniers or saddlebags, and not built for efficient transportation through woods and fields. The bear was having real difficulty getting the bike through the trees. If he’d stayed on pavement, who knows how far he could have gone before he was caught or he abandoned the bike in some distant vale.
But now he was caught “bear handed” so to speak. “Freeze,” cried Cpl. Smalley as he raised his rifle to take aim. That was it! This bear didn’t need a bicycle, even though it was a nice shiny model; he still had four good legs and it was time to go. He beat feet and disappeared before Cpl. Smalley could make the capture. The bear escaped. But Cpl. Smalley had recovered the bike, sans the 35 pounds of granola.
The victim was marred by his experience and declined any further hospitality from the natives in Twin Mountain. He requested that Cpl. Smalley give him an escort out of town. Last seen he was tenting at the Mt. Cleveland overlook along Route 3 above Franconia Notch.
Now on to the next call, a 911 hang-up on Blueberry Hill Road. Only an hour and a half left of this shift. Sometimes life is truly stranger than fiction.
— John Gardiner is Carroll’s Chief of Police. The information for this article was drawn from the police log and a verbal report that Cpl. Smalley made to him.
