Dirt bike, stolen 16 years ago, located and returned to surprised owner

When Kamron Golbaf had his dirt bike stolen from inside the garage of his parent’s Riverside home just days before Christmas, 2001 he figured he would never see his motorcycle again. After several months Kamron – then just 11-years-old – had moved on and the dirt bike eventually became a long forgotten memory.

So, I magine Kamron’s surprise 16 years later when a California Highway Patrol officer contacted him Wednesday and told him his childhood motorcycle had been located.

According to CHP, the stolen dirt bike was recovered when an “innocent purchaser” in Temecula attempted to register the motorcycle with the DMV.

CHP’s Officer Ralph Villegas had the pleasure of contacting Kamron and surprising him with news of the recovery of his long-forgotten motorcycle.

Later that day, Kamron – who now lives in Newport Beach – drove to Temecula where he was reunited with his dirt bike, which now seemed much smaller than he recalled.

Upon seeing the pint-sized Honda for the first time since he was 11, all Kamron could say was, “Wow, I don’t remember it being that small!” Considering the last time he had seen the dirt bike he was just a 5th-grader, the youth-sized motorcycle that was once a perfect fit now seemed tiny.

Amazingly, after nearly two decades, the youth-sized dirt bike – a 1998 Honda CR 80 with red, white and blue graphics – was in nearly perfect condition and still ran just as well as the last time Kamron rode it.

Kamron learned from Villegas that a person in Temecula had recently purchased the Honda for one of their children from a Craigslist advertisement. According to CHP, the buyer went into Temecula’s DMV to register the dirt bike but because the motorcycle had not been registered for “numerous” years, DMV did not have any record of the dirt bike’s vehicle identification number.

The DMV referred the buyer to CHP to verify the Honda’s VIN, at which time Villegas inspected the motorcycle and became suspicious about the dirt bike’s history.

Through “confidential law enforcement means” Villegas was able to determine the Honda had been stolen from Kamron on that long-ago day back in December, 2001.

After a quick inspection and a few heartfelt handshakes and thanks, Villegas helped Kamron load the pristine and brand new looking dirt bike into the back of his truck.

“Kamron thanked the CHP for their service and after one last hand shake drove off with his childhood dirt bike,” said officials.

Now that he has his long-lost motorcycle back Kamron has yet to decide what he is going to do with it and is still getting over the shock that his dirt bike had come home to him.

Although the person who purchased the Honda was not charged with any crime, they were unfortunately out the money they had spent purchasing the dirt bike. CHP is currently investigating the theft and recovery as well as the person who listed the motorcycle for sale on Craigslist.

After the surprise recovery, CHP used the opportunity to remind the public that if they have concerns of a used vehicle they are purchasing, before they make the purchase they can go into any CHP office to have the vehicle’s VIN verified. All they need to bring with them is their driver’s license and they will need to provide the exact location of the vehicle in question as well as the vehicle’s VIN information.

 

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Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.