East Precinct officers tracked a burglar to Renton Wednesday by following the digital trail left by a break-in victim’s stolen iPad.
Officers were dispatched to the 100 block of 17th Ave just before 5 pm, after the residents arrived home to find their front door kicked in. The victims said that while they didn’t know who had broken into the home, they were able to track their iPad, which had been stolen in the break-in.
Officers tracked the iPad to the 14000 block of South Puget Drive in Renton. They waited until a car leaving the area seemed to move in sync with the tracker. Officers stopped the vehicle and activated the alarm on the iPad, and heard it ringing in the backseat of the suspect’s vehicle. Officers arrested the 18-year-old man and impounded the vehicle. Officers booked the suspect into King County Jail for possession of stolen property and a felony warrant.
Detectives are working to obtain a warrant to conduct an additional search of the suspect’s vehicle.