UWF Police and Escambia Sheriff’s Office Break Up Two-Month Scooter, E-bike Theft Operation

January 14, 2026

A joint investigation between the University of West Florida Police Department and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has shut down a theft ring responsible for two months of e-bike and scooter thefts on campus.

The crackdown culminated Tuesday morning when investigators executed a search warrant to recover stolen property.

UWF Police said the suspects have been identified and will face numerous charges including grand theft, dealing in stolen property, felony narcotics possession, and outstanding warrants. Their names have not yet been released.

“This morning, investigators paid an unexpected visit to recover the stolen property,” UWF Police officials said. “Turns out we weren’t exactly on the invite list, but we did come with a warrant.”

The department credited the success of the operation to a close partnership with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Chip Simmons.

Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments





Have a comment on this story?

We welcome your comments on this story, but there are some rules to follow::

(1) Be Nice. No comments that slander another, no racism, no sexism, no personal attacks.

(2) No Harrassing Comments. If someone says something bad about you, don't respond. That's childish.

(3) No Libel. That's saying something is not true about someone. Don't do it.

(4) Keep it clean. Nothing vulgar, obscene or sexually related. No profanity or obvious substitutions. Period.

(5) NorthEscambia.com reserves the right to remove any comments that violate our rules or we think to be inappropriate. We are not responsible for what is posted. Comments may not appear right away until they are approved by a moderator.

(6) Limit your comments to the subject in this story only, and limit comments to 300 words or less. Do not post copyrighted material. Comments will not be added to stories that are over 30 days old.

(7) No posts may advertise a commercial business, political candidate or political group, or link to another commercial web site or political site of any kind.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FRONT FEATURE 

  FNBT