SANTA CRUZ — A 34-year-old Santa Cruz man accused of stealing a 10-year-old girl’s bicycle on the Westside was behind bars Tuesday, held in lieu of $50,000 bail.
The child and friends were on their way home from school around 3 p.m. Monday, traveling along the Santa Cruz Coastal Trail near Bellevue Street, when a man reportedly blocked their path, demanding that one of them relinquish their bicycle. He then reportedly fled on the stolen bike, according to police. The victims were uninjured and reunited with their parents, police said.
The next day, with a tip from an on-duty city Parks and Recreation Department worker, Santa Cruz Police Department officers arrested Jordan Howard on suspicion of robbery and false imprisonment, both felonies. The false imprisonment charge relates to blocking the victim’s ability to ride past the suspect freely, according to Lt. Jon Bush.
The city worker had seen a photo of the stolen bicycle circulating on social media when they saw someone with the stolen bike under the Soquel Avenue Bridge, along the east river levee, according to Bush. Howard also matched witnesses’ description of the robbery suspect and allegedly confessed to the robbery when interviewed by officers., according to Bush.The stolen bike has since been returned to the child.
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