TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — A Crawfordville man who claimed he was a "probate" for a local motorcycle gang has been arrested in connection to string of motorcycle thefts in Leon County.
Micheal Reinke, 37, has been connected to at least five thefts in both Wakulla and Leon counties.
According to court documents, Reinke's crime spree started with a motorcycle theft from Red Hills Powersports in December. Investigators say he was caught on surveillance footage breaking into the business to steal an orange 2012 Harley Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Limited, but the footage had no clear view of his face, so the Tallahassee Police Department posted the video on their Facebook page.
On Jan. 2, police received a tip that Reinke was responsible for a crime. A week later, police were called to investigate a burglary at the J.C. Penney's in Governor's Square Mall. Documents say the mall had already closed when a suspect broke into the store to steal a large suitcase and other merchandise.
As a result of an investigation into that incident, Reinke was positively identified to be the suspect in that case.
The next day on Jan. 10, police were called to the Tallahassee Harley-Davidson dealership on Capital Circle NW for a motorcycle theft. In that incident, a suspect broke into the dealership around 2 a.m. and stole a 2019 silver Harley Road King valued at $22,000. During the theft, documents say the suspect unsuccessfully tried to get away with another motorcycle by ramming it into the door, causing about $3,300 in damages.
Documents say that same morning, the Florida Highway Patrol came across a crash involving a blue Chevy truck and a stolen box trailer that had detached from the truck, causing both to crash on Spring Creek Highway in Wakulla County. During their investigation, troopers located the stolen Harley Road King inside the trailer.
Police say the box trailer was stolen from Bowden's Carpet Cleaning and had been reported stolen to the Leon County Sheriff's office.
Sometime during the investigation, documents say the Wakulla County Sheriff's office was contacted by the owner of the crashed truck who said that she believed her son, Reinke, had stolen the truck but wasn't sure.
On Jan. 15, deputies found Reinke at his mother's house and arrested him for the J.C. Penney's burglary and stealing his mother's truck. He was taken to the Wakulla County Jail.
When deputies searched the premises, they found a U-Haul box trailer that had been repainted and was possibly stolen. Inside the U-Haul trailer, investigators found the motorcycle that was stolen from Red Hill Motorsports in December along with another Harley Davidson that had its VIN plates scratched out. A stolen tag, a stolen 4-wheeler, and the jacket seen in the Red Hills video was also recovered during the search.
On Jan. 23, WCSO detectives interviewed Reinke, who confessed to the thefts at Red Hills, J.C. Penney's, Harley Davidson, and Bowden's Carpet Cleaning.
He told investigators that he was driving around Leon County when he saw an opportunity to steal a trailer from Bowden's Carpet Cleaning. Reinke then stole the trailer and used it to transport a stolen motorcycle from the Harley Davidson dealership. While driving home, he said that he swerved to miss a deer and ended up crashing. Reinke said he left the scene before authorities arrived.
"Reinke stated that he is a 'Probate' for the Iron Ravens motorcycle gang and he was stealing the motorcycle for the club," court documents state.
On Tuesday, Reinke was extradited to Leon County to face several theft charges including, grand theft of a motor vehicle, armed burglary, and criminal mischief. He is being held in jail on a $52,000 bond.
