FBI arrests Cleveland suspect in ongoing investigation into dirt bike and ATV thefts, records show

CLEVELAND, Ohio – FBI agents arrested a Cleveland man Monday as part of an ongoing federal investigation into the widespread theft of ATVs and dirt bikes.

Drew Schade, 27, is charged in federal court in Cleveland with possession of bullets despite being convicted of a felony that prohibits him from possessing firearms or ammunition.

No charges have been filed in connection with the dirt bike theft, but FBI agents wrote in court documents that Schade is being investigated in connection with a conspiracy to steal dirt bikes by thieves targeting people who sell the vehicles on Facebook, Instagram or other social media sites.

U.S. District Judge James Grimes on Monday ordered Schade to be held in federal custody pending a hearing on July 15. Schade was also referred to a federal grand jury, which will decide how his case will proceed. Schade’s attorney, David Johnson, declined to comment.

More than 200 dirt bikes have been stolen since January 2020, and FBI agents are investigating connections between the thefts, according to court documents. FBI agents wrote in court documents that they have identified patterns linking suspected thieves and their victims.

Most ATV thefts have been committed through online fraud, according to court documents. Thieves post ads online from sellers of ATVs or dirt bikes and tell the sellers to meet them in Cleveland. Then they steal the ATVs during test drives, documents show, an FBI agent wrote in court documents. Some also threatened the sellers with violence or shot at them during the theft.

Records show agents began investigating Schade after a 2009 Yamaha dirt bike was stolen on Nov. 6, 2021. Schade discovered the 24-year-old seller’s ad on Facebook, told him to meet him on Denison Avenue near West 67th Street, and drove off with the bike during a test drive, court records show.

According to records, investigators used cell phone records and social media records to link Schade to the theft.

While secretly conducting surveillance of Schade’s Dartmouth Avenue home on January 19, 2023, agents observed Schade speeding away from his home at a high rate of speed, narrowly missing a Cleveland Police patrol car responding to a domestic violence call.

In court documents, investigators noted that Schade was under investigation at the time for check fraud and attempted bogus purchases of weapons.

FBI agents and Cleveland police searched Schade’s home on Jan. 27, 2023, and found 21 bullets, including those typically fired from assault rifles, according to court records. Investigators also seized Schade’s cellphones and tablets and found photos of three firearms, including an AR-style rifle, the records show.

Schade was sentenced to one year in prison in Cuyahoga County Court for the theft of his dirt bike in November 2021. The sentence also included convictions for separate incidents in which he stole another dirt bike and a car.

Schade was also sentenced to a year in prison for hitting a neighbor on the head with a brick during a dispute in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood in 2019.

Riding ATVs and dirt bikes has been a controversial issue in Cleveland and its surrounding suburbs for years. Some say the riders are lawbreakers and a nuisance, while others say they are doing it for fun.

Cuyahoga County District Attorney Michael O’Malley issued a public warning in 2021 after noticing an increase in thefts of dirt bikes and ATVs. The next year, Cleveland police conducted an operation in which 15 dirt bike riders were arrested as they gathered for a ride. During that operation, officers found two stolen ATVs.

Last week, a Cleveland police officer was injured while attempting to arrest a dirt bike rider at the corner of West 25th Street and Detroit Avenue. An Ashtabula man was arrested in connection with the incident.

Adam Ferrise reports on federal courts at cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. His works can be found Here.