School board VP accused of illicit images on iPhone

Signals from AirPods solved two crimes: a woman was arrested for refusing to leave an Apple Store, and a Bangladeshi presenter’s iPhone was stolen, all in this week’s Apple Crime Blotter.

The latest from an occasional AppleInsider feature, looking at the world of Apple-related crime.

School board member accused of having child sex abuse material on iPhone

A school board vice president in upstate New York has been indicted on child pornography and child endangerment charges, and child sex abuse material has been found on his iPhone. That’s according to court documents cited by CNY Central.

Travis J. Longo, the 46-year-old former vice president of the Cazenovia Board of Education, allegedly “engaged in a pattern of sexually explicit communications with a child under the age of 12.” A search of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, authorities say, led to the offending images, which were discovered by a Department of Homeland Security agent.

Following his arrest, the rest of the board unanimously voted to compel Longo’s resignation.

Woman arrested for refusing to leave Apple Store

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.

According to Southwest Regional Publishing, the incident took place in April. The woman went to the Apple Store to have her iPhone serviced, but was unhappy with the service.

After she “became loud,” she refused to leave the store, declaring that the mall was “public property.”

After refusing to leave, she was charged with criminal trespass.

AirPods signal led to a truckful of stolen goods

On Memorial Day weekend, a crime victim followed a signal from a pair of stolen AirPods, which led police to a trove of stolen materials.

WLAF explains it started when a Kentucky man reported that numerous items had been stolen from his vehicle and that, when he followed the Find My iPhone signal, his AirPods were showing as located near a Popeyes.

The victim also noted that his stolen credit card had been used at a Love’s Travel Stop and viewed surveillance footage showing a GMC Sierra.

Police later located the vehicle, in which the alleged thief was asleep in the back.

The man claimed he was innocent and offered to let the detective search the car, which soon turned up credit cards belonging to the victim. Along with items paid for with those cards, some of which had receipts.

The man, currently on probation in Florida, was charged with theft of property under $2,500 and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and more charges are expected.

Car burglaries solved by stolen AirPods

In another car burglary case solved with the help of an AirPods signal, a Wyoming teenager has been arrested in connection with a series of car break-ins.

According to Wyoming News Now, the teenager has been accused of breaking into eight cars in a Cheyenne neighborhood and stealing AirPods, guns, and other items.

That AirPod theft led the owner to track them, which had the teen’s residence pop up repeatedly. He was eventually arrested at the courthouse, while there in connection with an unrelated case, and he also had an outstanding warrant in yet another case.

He was charged with six counts of burglary and two counts of aggravated burglary.

iPhone, Rolex stolen in Pennsylvania

A man from the Pennsylvania town of Jersey Shore has reported that his iPhone, and also a Rolex, had been stolen from him in a “disturbance.”

Fox 56 reports the incident took place on June 11 and a 2013 silver Chevrolet Silverado was “involved.” It is described as a “theft [with] no force.”

iPad was stolen from Children Aid Society in New York

On May 31, an “unidentified person” entered the Children Aid Society in the Bronx and took an iPad and a laptop.

Per News 12 Brooklyn, the NYPD is “looking to identify someone they say is wanted” in the burglary. Anyone with information is urged to notify police.

iPhone stolen from Bangladeshi presenter Neel Hurerzahan

Neel Hurerzahan, an actress and cricket show presenter based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, had her iPhone 17 Pro Max stolen in mid-June.

According to Daily New Nation, Hurerzahan posted a picture of the possible thief on her Facebook page.

“This afternoon, this man in the picture (white shirt) ran away from Shilpakala Academy with my iPhone 17 Pro Max (orange),” she wrote, asking for help in finding the device.

Korean broadcaster’s MacBook stolen, recovered in Mexico

Another media professional from Asia reported having an Apple product stolen. This time it was Kim Hwan, a South Korean broadcaster who was in Guadalajara, Mexico, to cover the World Cup.

According to Asia Business Daily, Kim said on Instagram that his bag, containing his MacBook, was stolen from a hotel lobby, and that the computer contained “broadcasting materials.”

Kim went on to track the computer, first to a Walmart and then to the vacant lot behind it, where he ultimately found both the MacBook and an iPad. He believed that the thief “became aware of the tracking and abandoned the devices before fleeing.”

However, Kim has not recovered other items, including cash, a credit card, and his ID.