Tracking Technology Leads Police To Stolen Electronics

Darian Trotter WGNO News

January 30, 2012

NEW ORLEANS—

Police say tracking technology is getting so advanced, it helped them pinpoint a house where stolen merchandise was being kept.

"It's sad that you can't even walk in your own neighborhood," said neighbor Laurel Rohrer.

People living near this popular dog park have something more to talk about while their pets are hard at play.

Police say a man walking in the one-thousand block Barracks Thursday night was ambushed and robbed by two men.

They took his wildly popular iPhone and MacBook, among other things.

But the items were equipped with tracking technology that led New Orleans detectives to Saint Bernard parish.

"That's fascinating I didn't know you could do that my computer is so old it doesn't have that I'm sure but it's good that they have that," Rohrer said.

Detective Sergeant Nick Gernon says investigators were able to pinpoint their search to a house and the two men inside.

"They let us in the house they allowed us to search the residence and found his stolen MacBook; along with his stolen iPhone and a stolen android phone from another robbery that occurred after this one which hadn't been reported to us yet," Gernon said.

Police arrested 19-year old David Blacklege and 20-year old Torrey Hooks.

Both men have been charged with simple robbery and possession of stolen property.

"I hope they get some kind of appropriate punishment so they learn a lesson," Rohrer said.

Back at the dog park, pet owners are applauding swift justice; and they're impressed with the technology that helped.

"Pretty advanced technology, and as time goes on they get better and we're able to get more and more accurate tracking," Gernon said.

Investigators are looking into the possibility that the men arrested may have committed similar crimes in the French Quarter.

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SundanceNGretna at 10:35 PM January 31, 2012

NOPD can use this technology to track down a man's stolen I-Phone, but refused to use it to track the victim of the gang rape last Thursday, after being asked to do just that by the person the victim had been talking to on her cell phone when the abduction took place? And they still have not completed an incident report on this poor woman's ordeal either! Makes you wonder whom the NOPD might be trying to protect here, certainly not the victim of a brutal abductiion and gang rape by 6 men that lasted 4 hours, and was happening just a few blocks from where she was abducted! And apparently, the criminals had time to call fellow rapists to the scene to help them continue the rape as time went on as well! The address of where she was abducted from was given to the police at the time of the crime, and the victim's car was still at the scene of the crime when it was all over, so the police, if they had tried at all, probably could have found the car! Sounds like the NOPD dropped the ball totally on this, and now are trying to create a cover-up, just like the bridge murders!

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