California woman fed up with stolen mail sends Apple AirTag to herself to catch thief

Associated Press

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California female fed up pinch her packages getting stolen retired of her station agency container sent an Apple AirTag to nan reside and cleverly tracked down nan suspected thief, constabulary said.

The female had had respective items stolen from her mailbox astatine nan Los Alamos Post Office already erstwhile she thought of nan idea, nan Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday. Apple’s $29 AirTags person go celebrated items since their 2021 release, helping users support tabs connected nan location of thing from their mislaid keys to wallets and luggage.

On Monday morning, sheriff’s deputies were called to nan station agency wherever nan female told officials her message had been stolen again — including nan package pinch nan AirTag.

Law enforcement tracked nan AirTag to a artifact successful Santa Maria, astir 16 miles (26 kilometers) from nan station agency and arrested 2 suspects — a 27-year-old female from Santa Maria and a 37-year-old man from Riverside.

They located nan package pinch nan AirTag among nan victim’s mail, arsenic good arsenic items believed to person been stolen from much than a twelve different people. The female declined to beryllium identified, nan sheriff’s section said.

The 2 suspects were booked successful jailhouse connected charges of possession of checks pinch intent to perpetrate fraud, conspiracy, and personality and in installments paper theft. The 37-year-old was besides booked connected a burglary complaint and respective different theft warrants from Riverside County.

The sheriff’s section commended nan message theft unfortunate for contacting rule enforcement truthful they could apprehend nan suspects alternatively than attempting to interaction them connected her own.