Thumbtacks...check! Cycles path....check! Trolling intentions....check!

Beach man charged in tack attack against bicyclists.

Police have charged a 49-year-old man in a case in which dozens of bicyclists got flat tires or crashed after riding over thumbtacks strewn on roads in Pungo last month.

Warren Dean Davis Jr. of the 3900 block of Dawley Road reported to police headquarters Thursday evening and was served 33 warrants charging him with misdemeanor destruction of property in the case, said Officer Jimmy Barnes, a police spokesman, on Friday. Davis has been released on a $3,500 surety bond, he said.

Each warrant correlates with a victim who agreed to press charges, Barnes said.

Detective Denise Fortin has been working the case for the past few weeks and screened the charges through the Chesapeake Commonwealth's Attorney's Office because of a conflict of interest with the Virginia Beach office, he said.

A nonattorney staff member of the Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney's Office is related to Davis but had no connection to the crime, said Macie Pridgen, a spokeswoman for the office, in an email.

The incidents occurred the weekends of June 4 and 11, when the tacks caused at least 100 flat tires and hurt at least two riders, cyclists said at the time. The targeted Pungo roadways are popular for large groups of cyclists who often ride on the narrow roads for safety and to avoid areas with more vehicle traffic.

Jeff Craddock was among the cyclists whose tires were flattened in June. He said he was pleased with the amount of time police devoted to the case and the response from community members who helped identify a suspect.

The friction between cyclists and motorists in Virginia Beach has worsened in the wake of the thumbtack controversy, Craddock said. He hopes everyone can move on now that charges have been filed.

Some people complained that cyclists were riding several abreast in large groups on narrow roads.

"The relationship between cyclists and the people who live in Pungo - 99 percent of that relationship is positive," Craddock said. "It's just this small number of people from both sides that cause problems."

Davis, reached by phone at his home Friday afternoon, declined to comment.