Woman credits app for helping her track burglary suspect

LAKE STEVENS, Wash. — A woman from Lake Stevens is crediting a smartphone app for helping her track down a burglary suspect.

Janelle Drews, 26, said it was during a quick stop at a local supermarket on May 18 when someone broke into her car in the parking lot.

“I came out to my car and said 'oh my gosh my purse is stolen, my purse is stolen,'” says Drews.

It turned out Drews left one of her back doors unlocked.

Witnesses say they saw a man take off in a black VW Jetta with a broken window.

Drews said it was her fiancée, Jason Martin, who came up with the idea to use a “Find My Phone” app.

“He’s honestly the one who found it,” says Drew. “He did all the work when I was scared.”

With the help of GPS, the couple located the phone in Marysville.

They drove there, spotted the black Jetta and called police, while debating whether to get closer to the vehicle.

“I got back 20 feet of the car to get the license plate number and even the 911 operator said no, no, no!,” says Martin.

Officers arrived a few minutes later and not only found Drews’ purse in the car but also loaded weapons.

“We went inside the vehicle and found firearms, plus a couple of other rifle cases in there,” says Commander Jeffrey Beazizo with Lake Stevens Police Department.

Investigators say GPS tracking technology helped them solve this case but the public should always be cautious.

“You don’t know what these people are carrying, their background or what they are involved in,” says Beazizo. “It becomes very dangerous for people; that’s why they should call us”.

Drews is thankful for how things turned out.

Her fiancée has a word of advice for others trying to avoid this situation.

“Always lock your doors,” says Martin. “And don’t leave your purse in the car.”

Cox Media Group