
Stolen AirPods lead to arrest of career criminal from Mission
MISSION — Mounties in Mission say a 29-year-old prolific offender from Mission was arrested last week for his alleged role in stealing AirPods, after police executed a search warrant at his residence.
According to a statement from Mission RCMP spokesperson Corporal Harrison Mohr, an Abbotsford resident noticed on Thursday morning, May 29 that someone had entered his farm property overnight and stolen keys to numerous vehicles, and a pair of Apple AirPods. The resident had used an app to determine that the AirPods were at a gas station in Abbotsford. The resident attended the gas station and noticed a suspicious vehicle filling up at the pump. The suspects took notice of the resident’s vehicle at the gas station – the same vehicle that they had broken into hours earlier – and were scared off. One of the suspects quickly reversed, taking the entire gas pump hose with him, as he had still been fueling up his tank. Another suspect quickly pulled the hose out and fled the area.
Soon afterwards, the AirPods showed that they were in a mall parking lot in Mission, but again the suspects noticed the resident’s truck arrive, and they sped off again, reportedly driving dangerously and into oncoming traffic. Fortunately, the suspects drove to their residence on 6th Avenue, which was identified with help of the tracking information from the AirPods. Police were called, and Mission RCMP’s Crime Reduction Unit used unmarked vehicles to conduct surveillance of the residence, while other officers applied for a Search Warrant.
Police obtained a search warrant that was granted hours later, and officers from Mission RCMP and the Abbotsford Police Department executed the search warrant at his residence that evening. The AirPods, stolen keys, and various other identification documents were subsequently located by police. A 29-year-old man from Mission, with numerous prior convictions for property crimes and other offences, was taken into custody.