A customer support request for a laptop computer led to an arrest in a 2012 burglary in Dover, police said.
Dover police said Casey Wentworth, 24, was arrested Monday and charged with burglary. Investigators said he’s suspected of stealing an Apple laptop computer from a Corner Stone Drive home in February 2013.
Police said they couldn’t identify any suspects in their initial investigation of the burglary. Detectives contacted Apple about the theft, and the laptop’s serial number was flagged.
Several months went by, and the laptop’s owner, Mike Witonis, said he thought the computer was gone for good. Then, he got an email from Apple, thanking him for calling customer service. But he hadn’t contacted the company.
Police said Apple had taken a call from someone who referenced the serial number of the stolen computer.
“It then took us a while to track down the individual who made the phone call, but we were able to put that together and ultimately come up with enough evidence to charge him with the original burglary and recover the computer,” said Lt. Brant Dolleman.
“It was sort of shocking,” Witonis said. “I guess luck was on our side that the guy who took it didn’t try to get rid of it, which was sort of strange. Then, all of a sudden, he decides in his infinite wisdom, ‘Well, I’ll just call Apple and see if they can help me unlock this thing.’”
