Portland’s Alleged “Kingpin” of Bike Theft is Back in Jail

Leroy Parsons, who served an unprecedented sentence for bike theft in 2015, was convicted for violating his probation.

(Portland Police Bureau’s Bike Theft Task Force)
By Shannon Gormley

Leroy Parsons Jr., the alleged "kingpin" of Portland bike theft, has been sentenced to 25 months in prison.

According to the Portland Police Department, Parsons is a key figure in a network of bike traffickers who dismantle stolen bikes at makeshift chop shops. Over two decades, Parsons has been booked more than 70 times. Parsons' recent conviction was for probation violations, including possessing bike parts without written permission from his parole officer. Bike Portland first reported the news.

"I think it's a big win for the community," said Officer Dave Sanders of Portland Police Bureau's Bike Theft Task Force in a statement.

This is not the first time Parsons has served jail time for a bike theft-related charge. In 2015, Parsons, 50, was sentenced to an unprecedented 30 months in jail after pleading guilty to three counts of theft.

Parsons served 18 months of that sentence and was released on probation. Last month, Sanders found Parsons in possession of several objects that violated the terms of his probation, including tablets, phone and bike parts. A few weeks later, Parsons was sentenced to 25 months in prison.

In an interview with KGW a few years ago, Parsons addressed previous thefts. "I don't go clipping bikes," he said. "I don't go looking for them. But if you're dumb enough to leave a $2,500 road bike on the back of your car with no lock, I'm dumb enough to take it. I'm sorry, I'm not going to pass that one up."

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