Call it a case of being at the right place at the right time.
A man was in the parking lot of a church near 19th Avenue and Cactus Road on Feb. 25 when he noticed a motorcycle that looked a lot like his friend's, which was stolen, according to court documents.
Turns out, it was the missing motorcycle.
Court documents state the keys were still in the ignition so the man took them, called his friend who then called the authorities.
Police arrived and watched the alleged suspect, 40-year-old Richard James Meeker, fumble to get the motorcycle started sans keys.
When deputies asked Meeker what he was doing, he told police his motorcycle broken down, ran out of gas and was attempting to splice the wires because he left his keys at home.
Meeker was arrested.
While on his way to be booked into jail, however, Meeker told the officer he was not feeling fell. The officer pulled over to let Meeker out, who used that opportunity to slip out of his handcuffs and run away.
He did not get very far. He was arrested again and booked into jail on charges related to the stolen vehicle, in addition to charges for the alleged escape and resisting arrest.
Records show he's spent time in prison related to another case of stolen vehicle.
