Charges filed in theft of Shawn Bradley's bike

SALT LAKE CITY — A 34-year-old Murray man has been charged with theft for allegedly taking a bicycle belonging to retired NBA and BYU basketball player Shawn Bradley.

The one-of-a-kind, 80-centimeter frame bicycle was reported missing by Bradley on Nov. 4. The man puzzled over who could have taken the bicycle, which was so difficult to ride that even its makers couldn't test it before shipping it.

According to charges filed Wednesday in 3rd District Court, the culprit was Joshua James Carter, who is facing one count of theft, a second-degree felony.

Bradley told police he returned home on Nov. 4 to find that someone had gone inside his barn and taken the bicycle, estimated to be worth $6,000, the charges state.

Bradley told the Deseret News on Nov. 9 that there were other bicycles, motorcycles, ATVs and tools in the garage, but the only thing missing was the custom-built bicycle he had made after retiring from the NBA in 2006.

Bradley, who is is 7-foot-6, said he needed to find a way to keep the weight off, and Trek made a bicycle just for him.

One week after the bicyle was reported missing, a police officer received a tip that Carter may have taken the bike and notified the man's probation and parole officer, who was performing a home visit. The pair knocked on Carter's door, and when Carter answered, they saw Bradley's bicycle just inside, the charges state.

Carter later told police he found the bicycle outside the gate of Bradley's home "and decided to take it," according to the charges.

There was no description as to how the man was able to transport the bicycle, which Bradley said would have been impossible to ride and too large to fit in a car.

— Emiley Morgan

Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam