Apple Crime Log: Genius Bar Standoff, AirTag in ICE Custody, and a CSAM-laden iPhone
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In this week’s edition of the iDrop News Apple Crime Log, a woman likes it so much at the Apple Store, she refuses to leave, AirPods help catch a pair of thieves, a New York school board member was caught with CSAM materials on his iPhone, and more.
Cops Arrest Woman After She Refuses to Leave Apple Store
Susan Morrison, a 59-year-old Texas woman, was arrested for criminal trespass after she refused to leave the Apple Store at Orland Square Mall in Illinois, reports Illinois’ The Regional News.
Police were called to the Apple Store in April after the woman visited to have her iPhone fixed, but was unhappy with the service she received from the Genius on duty there.
She then “became loud,” refusing to leave the store, declaring that the mall was “public property.”
Police begged to disagree with Morrison, informing her that the mall is private property and she could indeed be asked to leave. When she refused to leave the property, she was charged with criminal trespass, police said.
AirPods Lead Cops to a Snoozing Thief’s Truckload of Stolen Goods
In another story of an Apple device snitching on thieves, a crime victim followed a signal from his stolen AirPods, leading police to a trove of stolen materials.
WLAF reports that it started during the Memorial Day weekend, when a Kentucky man reported that numerous items had been stolen from his vehicle and that his AirPods were part of the illicit haul. He had followed the Find My signal for the AirPods on his iPhone, which showed they were located near a Popeyes chicken restaurant. (Yes, apparently even thieves “love that chicken from Popeye’s”)
The victim also checked and a stolen credit card had been used at a Love’s Travel Stop, which had surveillance footage showing a GMC Sierra.
Police later located the vehicle, with the alleged thief fast asleep in the back. (“Love a nap after that chicken from Popeye’s!”)
Vladimir Rodriguez, 39, Orlando, who claimed he was innocent, offered to let Caryville detective Jacob Fox search the car, during which Fox found credit cards belonging to the victim, as well as items paid for with the stolen cards, receipts included. The ill-gotten gains included 16 tools and accessories, 10 of which were DeWalt brand, expensive cologne, and the AirPods totaling an estimated $6,000. Also discovered was a Springfield handgun.
Rodriguez, who was already on probation in Florida, was charged with theft of property under $2,500 and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. More charges are expected.
Car Thief Tripped Up By Stolen AirPods
In our second “AirPods Fight Crime” story, a Wyoming teenager has been arrested in connection with a series of car break-ins, thanks to a pair of AirPods.
Wyoming News Now reports a teenager has been arrested for breaking into eight cars in a Cheyenne neighborhood, stealing AirPods, guns, and other items.
The owner of the stolen AirPods tracked them to the teen’s residence. Police arrested the teen at the courthouse, when he made an appearance there in connection with an unrelated case. The teen also had an outstanding warrant in yet another case.
19-year-old Anthony Graham was charged with six counts of burglary and two counts of aggravated burglary.
Woman Uses AirTag to Track Husband Through Immigration System
A Texas woman whose husband was detained by ICE, told Newsweek that she had placed an AirTag in her husband’s clothing, allowing her to track his movements through the immigration system.
Madison Crider, 31, said her husband, Victor Peralta Perez, 26, from Venezuela had a pending asylum case and had no criminal record. When the couple attended a mandatory annual immigration check-in on December 4, 2025, ICE agents detained Victor. Crider said he had attended a similar appointment the year before and had been allowed to leave after being given another date.
Crider said she placed an AirTag in Peralta Perez’s clothing before the appointment. The device became her only way of tracking his movements during periods when she did not hear from him.
Newsweek viewed several screenshots of the AirTag location data, showing Peralta Perez’s movements at US Army Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, and near the Florence Military Reservation in Florence, Arizona. Crider says he was transferred twice early on, moving several more times later, although the bulk of his time was spent at the Eden Detention Center in Texas.
He ultimately chose to leave the country.
“He chose to leave because his detention had no end in sight and he could no longer handle the conditions,” Crider said.
“To be clear: Work authorization does not give someone legal status to be in our country,” a DHS spokesperson told Newsweek in an email statement.
School Board Member Caught With CSAM on His iPhone
Court documents discovered by CNY Central show that a school board vice president in upstate New York has been indicted on child pornography and child endangerment charges, including having child sex abuse material (CSAM) on his cosmic orange iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Police say Travis J. Longo, the 46-year-old former vice president of the Cazenovia Board of Education, “engaged in a pattern of sexually explicit communications with a child under the age of 12.” He is also facing four counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
A search of Longo’s iPhone 17 Pro Max led to the discovery of one photo and three videos of CSAM, which were discovered by a Department of Homeland Security agent. The special agent, trained by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, uncovered the horrible materials, which included a child between 5 and 7 years old. The three videos depict infants.
Court notes show that investigators found text message “chats” on Longo’s iPhone where he shared his sexual interests in minors, including a male child he knew.
The rest of the school board voted unanimously for Longo to resign from the board following his arrest. He was elected to the Cazenovia School Board of Education in 2024. Longo was told he had until noon on Monday to resign.
