Stolen Laptop GPS Leads Cops To Car Burglar: Plainfield PD

PLAINFIELD, IL — A stolen laptop's GPS helped police track down a man wanted in connection with a rash of vehicle burglaries, according to the Plainfield Police Department. On Tuesday, police said they received a call from a resident who said a laptop had been stolen from his vehicle. According to the victim, the laptop's built-in GPS showed that the stolen device was somewhere in the area of 127th Street and Route 59 — more specifically, that it might be inside Walmart, 12650 S. Route 59.

Police who responded to the Walmart found a man wearing a backpack and quickly exiting the store into the parking lot. Officers stopped the man, identified as Jackson C. Melton, 19, whose last known address was in the 3000 block of Worcester Lane in Aurora, and questioned him about the stolen laptop.

Officers searched Melton's backpack and found the laptop, as well as numerous other items including credit cards and driver's licenses that did not belong to the teen. During an investigation, it was revealed that the other items found on Melton had also been stolen from unlocked vehicles over the last several days, police said.

All of the burglaries happened within the last several days in the area surrounding 119th Street and 248th Avenue.

Police said Melton was also in possession of a check that had been stolen from a mailbox in the same area.

Melton was taken into custody and transported to the Plainfield Police Department for questioning. He was charged with multiple felonies, including burglary, possession of stolen property and identity theft.

Will County jail records indicate Melton remained in custody as of Wednesday afternoon in lieu of $10,000 bond. While Plainfield police said Melton most recently lived in Aurora, jail records list an address in Miami, Florida, for the teen.