A man who was detained for stealing a bicycle from a yard escaped theft charges as the owner decided not to press charges, but he was arrested for possession of a hypodermic syringe.

A homeowner in the1300 block of Eugene Avenue called police at 6:42 a.m. on Aug. 24 after he stopped Ryan Smith, 26, of Modesto, who entered his backyard and was caught stealing a bike. Since the homeowner recovered his property he did not want Smith arrested or charged for the theft. However, Officer Bill Carter arrested Smith for possession of drug paraphernalia after found with a syringe which he admitted used to inject himself with drugs.