The iPad that Refused to Be Stolen

At about 7:00am, on Sunday, December 2, 2012, officers from District A-1 (Downtown) responded to a call for a suspicious male walking in and out of yards in the area of 130 High Street in Charlestown. According to the caller, the suspect (described as a white male wearing a dark baseball and puffy jacket) was seen exiting a yard carrying something in his hand. On arrival, officers located an individual who matched the description of the suspect. Upon seeing the approaching officers, officers observed the suspect put his head down and attempt to walk away in a hurried fashion.

After stopping the suspect, officers asked the suspect what he was doing in the area. To which, the suspect answered that he was looking for a place to urinate. When asked why he wouldn’t do such in his own home, the suspect stated that he lost the key to his home.

During the encounter, officers noted that the suspect kept clutching at his jacket in such a way as if to suggest he was in possession of a weapon. Upon conducting a pat frisk of the suspect, officers discovered that the suspect was concealing an iPad. Upon recovering the iPad, officers realized that a report for a stolen iPad had been filed earlier in the evening in the area of 130 High Street. Upon turning the iPad on, the officer who took the earlier report noted that that background picture was, in fact, a picture of the person who had filed the earlier report.

Additionally, a review of the iPad’s serial number enabled officers to match up the serial number on the iPad found in the suspect’s possession with the number on the stolen iPad. Further, officers went to the victim’s address to show her the recovered iPad. Upon seeing the iPad, the victim stated, “That’s mine.”

Officers arrested Robert McCarty, 36, of Boston and charged him with Breaking & Entering and Receiving Stolen Property.