Man Sought In 3 Counties, Reward Offered: Police

SANTA ROSA, CA — The Santa Rosa Police Department is seeking a man suspected of grand thefts in at least two Bay Area cities.

On Jan. 23, Andrew Busch, 34, was able to rent a red Specialized Levo SL electric bike from a Santa Rosa business using another person's identity and a fraudulent credit card, Santa Rosa police Sgt. Christopher Mahurin said.

"The suspect left with the bike and never returned," Mahurin said. "The bike was valued at more than $7,000. Detectives continued to investigate the bike and identify thefts and worked to identify the suspect."

SRPD detectives regularly work with other agencies to see if they have similar cases and were notified of a similar investigation in the East Bay city of Lafayette, Mahurin told Patch.

"The description of the suspect and criminal behaviors was the same as the recent Santa Rosa theft," Mahurin said.

Based on the evidence from the Santa Rosa investigation as well as investigations from other jurisdictions, SRPD Property Crimes detectives identified Busch as the suspect in the mountain bike theft and identity theft.

Detectives have been working with the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office and have secured a felony arrest warrant for Busch on suspicion of burglary, identity theft and grand theft.

"Busch also has active felony arrest warrants out of Marin County and Contra Costa County for similar crimes," Mahurin said.

A reward of up to $2,500 is being offered by the Sonoma County Alliance Community Engagement and Safety Rewards Fund for information leading to the arrest of Busch.

Police asked anyone who knows Busch's whereabouts or has information that would assist with the case to contact SRPD through its online Tip Line at www.srcity.org/CrimeTips.