Rome man arrested after stealing motorcycle from Kawasaki dealership in Floyd County

According to a Floyd County Police Department incident report, On November 18th, 2022, at 10:52 AM, Officer Bleecker received radio traffic of a vehicle theft that just took place from the Kawasaki dealership located on Alabama Highway and a corresponding BOLO for that theft. Officer Bleecker reported, “While en route [I] was advised that the person who stole the bike left toward Rome city and got a physical description of the rider and that he was not wearing a helmet. Upon arrival, [I] spoke with the store owner and also to an assistant who showed me camera footage of the suspect inside the store. From the footage, you can clearly see the suspect matches the description dispatch provided. The video shows the man entering the store and speaking with the owner. He remains in the store for approximately an hour, acting strangely while he is there. At one point, he was observed piling up equipment in places as if to purchase it but never initiated a transaction at a counter. Eventually, the man exits the store to the front, where a new 2023 White Suzuki motorcycle had been recently moved to and was waiting to be picked up by a buyer. The keys were left on the bike. The man observes the bike to have keys and puts on glasses and gloves before straddling the bike, starting it up, and driving off the lot with it.” Officer Pelanek, who was also in the area, located the stolen motorcycle at the Citgo gas station on Alabama Highway and Woods Road. Officer Pelanek reported, “[I] got out and notified all other responding units that I had found the motorcycle sitting in front of the store. About that time, a male (Kunal Ravindra Wadekar, 34, of Rome) that looked like the one described who stole it came out and looked at me and said, please let me explain [I] told him to put his hands behind his back, and that [I] was going to detain him at that time. Sgt. Whaley and Officer Bleecker arrived and assisted Officer Pelanek. Officer searched Wadekar’s backpack and located a glass meth pipe, meth, and a small bottle of pills. According to the report, “Wadekar was found to have no driver’s license and had no registration on the bike and was also operating it without a helmet. The motorcycle was confirmed via VIN as the bike that was stolen from the lot.” Wadekar was charged with theft by taking a motor vehicle, possession of meth, possession of drug-related objects, driving without a license, not wearing a helmet, having no insurance for motorcycles, and driving an unregistered vehicle.

Related Posts