Local

GPS company makes changes after accused rapist flees

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Accused child rapist Loomes Wheeler remains on the run Monday, one week after he disappeared.

Since then, Channel 9 has learned that the GPS tracking company that was supposed to be monitoring Wheeler is making changes so no other accused criminals get away.

Dave Saporito's company was in charge of monitoring Wheeler, but a worker failed to notify authorities for seven hours after the accused child predator cut off his GPS ankle bracelets.

Saporit's company, Ammediate Bail Bonds, handles most of its cases in Brevard County. A company official told Channel 9 on Monday it has had no problems with the pre-trial release program there, but, after last week's incident, the company said it is changing its standards for reporting.

"We know exactly, instantly if there is a strap tamper, a low battery, an exclusion zone violation," Saporito told Osceola Judge Mark Blechman on his pre-trial GPS system in May.

Blechman, despite an order prohibiting such companies, ordered the GPS for Wheeler.

But last week, Wheeler cut off the GPS and fled the area and almost seven hours passed before law enforcement was notified.

On Monday, the GPS tracking company told only Eyewitness News that it made a mistake.

"The employee that we had on call that night said the active saw he was still on the premises, and waited until the morning to contact the owner," said Mario Guinardi, of Ammediate Bail Bonds.

"Shouldn't that first strap tamper have been reported to the Osceola County Sheriff's Office immediately?" asked Eyewitness News reporter Chris Heath.

"I believe so, and that's what we've told our employee to do the next time of course," said Guinardi.

The Brevard-based GPS monitoring company said it has changed policies for reporting incidents and adjusted staffing for its monitoring.

Eyewitness News discovered that the same GPS monitoring company that was supposed to be keeping tabs on Wheeler had more than 45 active GPS cases in Brevard, two are defendants who are accused of murder.

Channel 9 asked the 18th Judicial Circuit if it had plans to revisit its GPS and were told the judges are aware of the situation, but have no plans yet.

"The technology works," said Guinardi.

"It just didn't in this case," said Heath.

"Well, there's human error," replied Guinardi.

Orange and Osceola counties are under orders from the chief judge not to use outside GPS monitoring companies.

As of Monday evening, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office told Eyewitness News it had no new information on the whereabouts of Wheeler.