Stolen iPad Led Deputies To Man's House

SARASOTA, FL — A 20-year-old Sarasota man faces criminal charges after deputies say an auto burglary victim helped them track his stolen iPad right to the accused thief's door.

The case against DeAndre Reese began to unfold in the late-night hours of Saturday, March 25 when several vehicles were broken into in the area of Desoto Road and North Lockwood Ridge. Sarasota County Sheriff’s deputies were called out to the area early Sunday morning by victims who discovered their vehicles had been broken into and their belongings rummaged through.

As it turns out, one of the victims noticed that his iPad had been taken. The man took advantage of Apple’s location services and informed deputies the device was pinging in the area of 17th Street and Conrad Avenue.

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With the information in hand, a deputy drove to the area the iPad had last pinged. When he pulled up, he saw a man exit a home in the 1700 block of North Conrad with an iPad in his hands, an arrest report said.

The deputy approached the iPad-holding man and began to inquire about it, the report noted. The man explained that his mother had purchased the iPad for him as a birthday gift a few weeks ago. The deputy, however, noted a problem with the story: The device matched the description of the stolen one right down to its case.

“The iPad was shown to the victim, who identified it and showed the contents to deputies,” the arrest report said. The device just happened to contain photos of the victim’s family.

After seeing the photos, the deputy took Reese into custody and brought him back to the sheriff’s office for an interview. He was ultimately charged with auto burglary and grand theft. It seems deputies also found marijuana in his possession, so that charge was added to the list, as well.

Reese's arrest was announced Tuesday. He remained in custody Tuesday morning in lieu of $3,500 bond. The investigation into the burglaries remains active with additional charges pending, the sheriff’s office said.

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Booking photo courtesy of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office