Undercover University Police officers arrested a serial bike thief Tuesday after they spotted him cut the lock on a student’s bicycle in front of Martin Hall, a police spokesman said.

Six charges were filed against Michael Crum, of Washington, including theft for five bicycles that police said he stole from students on the campus.

Crum, 31, was also charged with trespassing, because University Police banned him from the campus after a previous arrest, said Paul Dillon, a spokesman for University Police.

An electronic search of Maryland court cases shows that Crum has had a number of other charges filed against him, including theft and unlawful loitering. He was also arrested by police in 2004 for burglary, the records show.

“He’s definitely one of the guys that is a leading stealer of bikes on campus,” said Dillon. “It’s a relatively low-risk kind of criminal activity unless you start stealing bikes in front of cops.”

Police found two stolen bicycles in Crum’s car, which was parked off the campus near McDonald’s. A fourth bike, also stolen from a student, was found in his home.

Plainclothes officers in were hanging fliers on bikes encouraging owners to register with the university’s database of bicycle serial numbers and corresponding owners, when they spotted Crum ride up on another stolen bike with flat tires, Dillon said.

“[They were] trying to advertise the fact that this service is available and happened to come across our friend, Mr. Crum,” Dillon said.

He appeared too old to be a student and began acting suspiciously, so officers pretended to hold a conversation while monitoring him, Dillon said.

Crum then cut the bike’s lock and attempted to ride it away when he was apprehended by police, Dillon said.

At least three of the five stolen bicycles were registered in the university’s database, Dillon said, so police were able to return them to their original owners.

Two of the bikes cost more than $500, Dillon said, meaning Crum may face felony theft charges. Dillon added that his previous criminal record will likely influence the sentence.

“We hope and expect him to see jail time for this,” Dillon said.

overlydbk@gmail.com