A bike thief was arrested Tuesday for stealing a teenager’s bike off his front porch early Monday morning.

While watching video footage from his home surveillance system, Donald Oliver discovered an unknown male, later identified as Justin Walker, walking up to his porch and stealing his youngest son’s bike.

As Walker walked off with it he decided to get the more expensive bike instead. He dropped the bicycle in the middle of the yard and headed back to the porch and stole a NIRV BMX bike valued at around $350, which belonged to Oliver’s 15-year-old son.

The next day, when Oliver’s wife told him about the bike being in the middle of the yard, he checked his video footage to see what had transpired.

Neither Oliver nor any of his sons recognized Walker. And the family’s surveillance system did not deter him. In fact, at one point he looked directly into one of the visible cameras Oliver has placed around his property.

He purchased his surveillance system online about a year ago and touts the helpful features, such as the ability to check his house even while away on vacation and being able to check on his kids playing outside from his computer monitor inside. It’s also easy to install.

“It’s like running a phone line,” Oliver said.

On Monday he provided a copy of the footage to the Effingham Sheriff’s office and completed a police report before providing local news outlets with the footage as well.

On Tuesday, Walker’s mother, brother and girlfriend delivered the stolen bike to Oliver at his home, according to Oliver. The mother had seen the video footage of her son on the news.

Walker turned himself in at the sheriff’s office the same day. The Springfield resident is charged with two misdemeanors, criminal trespass and theft by taking.

Oliver has been living in Goshen Hills Plantation for 12 years and has had no major problems. Walker lived in the same neighborhood seven years ago.

“It’s a good neighborhood,” he noted.

However, this is not the first incident his family has encountered.

“We had a bike stolen about a year and a half ago,” Oliver admitted.

He also said three boys egged the car of one of his sons about five months ago.

“I still got that on video, too,” Oliver laughed.

Though he considered installing an alarm system, he changed his mind after learning of its high price tag, about $600 for the year. He doesn’t like how much time a burglar has from the time the alarm sounds to the arrival of the police.
He explained that alarm systems deter criminals while his surveillance system catches them.

“This is cheaper and it works,” he said.