Sylvania Police: GPS thefts led burglars to next heist

Article published December 08, 2009

BLADE STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES

Two Michigan men have been arrested in connection with at least one burglary in Sylvania and dozens more in the Detroit area in which they used global-positioning devices obtained in car break-ins to choose their targets, authorities said.

During October and November, the two 23-year-old suspects stole GPS devices and garage-door remote control units from vehicles, then used the GPS data to locate victims’ homes and the garage-door openers to get in, police said. Targeted cars often were parked at restaurants or cinemas.

 Sylvania Police Chief Gerald Sobb said he knew of one local burglary involving the pair, and that his officers also followed the suspects around town on another occasion after Michigan police received reports of suspicions pawn-shop transactions involving them. No crimes occurred during the local surveillance, the chief said.

The men were arrested in Pittsfield Township, just outside Ann Arbor, and police recovered stolen property in two suburban Detroit homes.

Chief Sobb had no details about what had been stolen in Sylvania and said he did not know if any of that property was among the recovered items.

“There’s an awful lot of stuff at those guys’ house that is going to have to be processed,” the chief said.

Police from Detroit, Troy, Auburn Hills, Bloomfield Township, Riverview, Rockwood, and Trenton, Mich., were involved in the investigation.