Lights, camera, action: Barberton councilman tracks down suspect in trail camera theft

When Barberton City Council President Justin Greer began receiving images from a trail camera about noon on the day before Christmas Eve, he immediately knew a few things.

For one, it was obvious the camera was working.

Check.

The camera, used to track wildlife or provide home security, wasn't supposed to be operating.

Check.

And, most importantly, he knew that the camera had been stolen.

Crud.

Scene of the crime

Greer, who is chief technology officer for Black Gate Hunting Products, was angry and a little concerned.

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The camera had been left in one of his vehicles parked just outside his house. Until the camera switched on, he hadn't known that a thief had stolen it and other items from the truck. He had a good idea, however, when it was taken.

"At some time between the 21st and 22nd, one of my vehicles was broken into," he said in a phone interview.

Other items had been taken, too, but it was the camera that helped lead him to the home where it was activated.

Greer said the camera was a research and development device belonging to his company.

"The device had to be turned on (and) that is what the suspect did right about noon on the 23rd," he said.

By doing so, whoever had stolen the camera or received the stolen device had unwittingly provided photos of themselves and the inside of their home.

"When it was turned on, it instantly began taking photos of the room that it was located in in the suspect's house," he said. "It took around 15 photos and out of those, four or five of them are actually people's faces."

Tracking down a suspect

Greer, who frequently uses Facebook to communicate with his constituents, created a post about the incident that included images taken by the camera. In two of the photos, a young woman stares down at the camera, her facial details clear. In another photo, what looks like an older man gazes down, too.

After the realizing he'd become a theft victim, Greer took action, determined to identify who had broken into his vehicle and taken the camera and other items.

He was able to use GPS technology to triangulate the location of the device. Although it wasn't exact, it enabled him to narrow down the location to a neighborhood.

"It will get you in the ballpark," he said. "A couple of hundred yards."

He decided to canvass the neighborhood as his best course of action, asking his Facebook community to help identify who was in the images. He calculated that those in possession of the device would try to dispose of it, and he would be there to see it happen.

"I figured if the odds were in my favor, they would see the Facebook post and try to get rid of the camera," he said.

They didn't, but he was still able to narrow down the camera's location with the help of a few leads from his Facebook followers — getting enough information to find the house.

"I got a lead for who it was (and) confronted them," he said. "They admitted to having the camera, and at that point I called the police."

During the confrontation, a man and woman in the house offered the camera to him, but he refused to take it. He called police, waiting until they arrived. When the police came, they questioned the individuals, who pointed to a third party not in the house as responsible for the theft.

Greer, who intends to press charges against those believed responsible for the theft, said he finally got the camera back — but not in the condition he left it.

"The camera's a loss," he said.

Thefts, thefts and more thefts

The camera is one small drop in a vast sea of theft, a problem that some statistics show has been on the rise in the U.S. since 2020, when the pandemic helped suppress crimes across the board. During that time, so-called porch pirates — people who steal items delivered to homes — became an increasingly familiar menace to most people, with doorbell-camera footage of the thefts populating the internet.

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C+R Research surveyed 2,006 people for a 2022 package theft report, finding that 14% of those surveyed had fallen victim to package thefts this year. The average value of the stolen package was reported at $112.30.

Most people, if they hadn't been affected directly, knew someone who had, the report said.

Another dramatic increase is in the theft of motor vehicles. According to FBI data, vehicle theft has risen from 176,766 in 2014 to 555,543 in 2021.

Barberton police did not immediately return phone messages seeking information on thefts in the city, but some indication of the problem can be found in a geo map link on the city's website.

The Community Crime Map shows the location of thefts reported in the city for the month of December, with more than 20 listed. They occur at single-family homes, apartment complexes, gas stations, grocery stores, drugstores and even a clothing store.

FBI statistics show 546 thefts reported in Barberton in 2019, the latest year available. In the same year, Akron reported 4,305 thefts; Norton, 134; Cuyahoga Falls, 860; Springfield Township, 528; and Stow, 475.

'If you don't want things stolen, you don't keep them in your car'

For Greer, the experience was a stark reminder to be proactive to combat the possibility of theft.

"If you don't want things stolen, you don't keep them in your car," he said. "I was coming back some from in-field research and development and didn't grab it when I got out of the truck."

His advice for others is to take the simple steps necessary to protect your possessions.

"We should be focused on being a little bit more secure in our daily habits," he said. "You never know who's out doing this stuff. We walk past them (every day)."

With the camera's unexpected help, he's hoping the perpetrator will be brought to justice.

"(I'll) press charges to the highest extent," he said. "(To) see some form of justice done."

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Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Barberton councilman tracks down suspect in trail camera theft