SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane man was forced to pay $1,000 to get his stolen motorcycle released from a tow yard. Then, 36 hours later, it was stolen again.
"Had my helmet and everything in hand and said, 'Where's my bike?," Hall said.
Hall's bike was first stolen June 6 from his apartment parking lot on Upriver Drive.
"Five days later, a detective for the highway patrol called me and they had recovered it in Wenatchee," Hall said.
Hall had to take time off work, rent a trailer and borrow a truck to drive all the way to a Wenatchee tow yard. They had his bike and also a bill.
"Come to find out I'm more surprised that I'm liable for the impound fee," Hall said. "Paid $1,000 to buy my own motorcycle back from an impound fee because someone stole it."
The bike had been painted and the crooks jammed a screwdriver into the ignition. Hall returned to Spokane with his bike and a new heavy duty lock. He chained it to a pole.
Then, just 36 hours later, the morning after Father's Day, the bike was gone.
"My neighbor woke me up, pounding on the wall screaming, 'They're stealing your bike,'" Hall said. "I came out running and they were nowhere to be seen."
To make matters worse, Hall planned to sell the motorcycle after this riding season to have a little extra cash for his growing family.
"This was going to be my last riding season," Hall said. "I was going to sell it and a good chunk of that was going to go to buy her a ring and the other chunk was to save for the baby that's on the way. She's 15-weeks Monday."
Spokane police say they are investigating the thefts. With all that he's been through, Hall has advice for other riders.
"If you own a motorcycle do more than lock it and chain it," Hall said. "Do more than that because the people that prey at the night they will find it."
Hall created a GoFundMe asking people to help cover the impound fee he had to pay while retrieving his motorcycle the first time. As of Tuesday, the bike is still missing.
According to data from Spokane police, property crime around the city is up nearly 30% compared to this time last year.
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