When someone gives up alcohol for sobriety, it can often be a reason for celebration. One Peoria man, however, celebrated four months of his sobriety last week by getting intoxicated and stealing a motorcycle.
The AZ Family reported that on the afternoon of Tuesday, February 11th, Jackson Brady Hanley, Jr., 29, rode his bicycle to Kelly’s Kawasaki, located on Country Club Drive in Mesa. After arriving at the motorcycle dealership, Hanley grabbed one of the motorcycles on the lot and pushed it down the street.
A customer who was at the dealership at the time informed an employee of the theft. The employee then called the Mesa Police Department.
Police searched the area for Hanley and the missing motorcycle and found him near the intersection of Drew Street and 10th Avenue sitting on the fence. Officers found the stolen vehicle near the suspect tipped over but still upright.
When police asked Hanley about the alleged theft, he readily admitted that he had stolen the bike in celebration of four months of sobriety. He then told officers that he had intended to walk the motorcycle back to his home and would start it up there. Hanley also admitted that he had been drinking both vodka and Moscato just before the theft.
Police arrested Hanley and later booked him into the Maricopa County Jail on the charges of stealing a means of transportation. His offense is considered a Class 3 felony in the state of Arizona.
Officials say Hanley’s handing of the motorcycle during the theft caused approximately $3,500 in damage to the bike’s exhaust system.
