Spend enough time at the bars in Ocean City and, eventually, you'll see someone with a court-issued GPS ankle monitor. These are the devices designed to make sure that people do not flee justice.
No judgment here. Parolees and defendants need vacations, too.
It would take a special kind of criminal to see those ankle monitors and want to steal them. On the list of all things you shouldn't steal, a court-issued GPS device is definitely at the top of that list.
Well, allow me to introduce you to 25-year-old Bruke Yared, of Bowie, MD.
Ocean City Police originally stopped Yared on suspicion that he might have been involved in a number of car thefts. People had been reporting vehicle break-ins for days, but police had no suspects to go on. Seeing Yared walking down the side of the road, officers decided to politely ask if they could search his bag. Yared responded that they could.
After looking through his bag, officers found an iPhone, tablet, laptop, women's razor, and ... an ankle monitor. As the officers began questioning Yared about the devices in the bag, he got spooked and withdrew his consent for the search. Without any evidence that the devices were stolen, police had to let him go.
The officer did manage to get the serial number off of the ankle monitor. After running it through the system, it came up as belonging to the Court Services and Offender agency. Officers called the agency up and were informed that the ankle monitor was never issued to Yared. It was stolen.
Since the ankle monitors are valued at over $350 each, OCPD actually had cause to arrest Yared for theft. They received a warrant to search him and any bags he might have in his possession. They then punched in the ankle monitor's serial number, and the GPS coordinates led officers right to him.
It turns out that the iPhone and tablet were definitely stolen. No status update on the women's razor, though the search continues.
Yared was charged with multiple counts of theft. He has since accused the police of planting the ankle monitor on him.
Ocean City certainly has its share of interesting police stories every tourist season, but stealing a court-issued GPS ankle monitor definitely is up there close to the top.