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It’s no secret that most smart phones on the market come equipped with GPS locator technology, but apparently many criminals have yet to receive the memo. Another stolen cell phone was recovered using its built-in tracking technology, which was traced back to the father of the alleged thief.

More and more stories like this are popping up around the United States, a recent example occurred in February of 2011 in Fort Myers, Florida. Wayne Moomjian arrived to work at Tri-City Pool Service, where he had left his pickup truck parked overnight.

It wasn’t long until he realized some of his belongings had been stolen from the vehicle. He explained to reporters, motioning to his empty truck, “The wallet was here, the phone was right here and the gun was in the console.”

Lee County deputies are currently investigating the robbery. John Sheehan, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson gives credit to the GPS locator technology for the current success of the investigation, saying “The GPS made it happen.” He explained, “We were able to find the person who was in possession of the phone, learn who the individual’s son was, who happened to be the suspect.”

The suspect’s name is Zachery Shomer, age 27, who was unaware that the cell phone he allegedly stole had a GPS locator. After they were granted a search warrant, the sheriff’s department also found several additional stolen items in Shomer’s mother’s vehicle. Only some of the stolen property belonged to Wayne Moomjian.

Zachery Shomer is currently under arrest and facing numerous criminal charges. In addition to the robbery, detectives also have surveillance evidence of Shomer using stolen credit cards at a gas station. Unfortunately, the stolen and loaded handgun has not been recovered. The Lee County Sheriff’s Department is asking that anyone with information about the missing handgun to come forward.

Article Written by Marisa O’Connor