Man arrested on stalking charges after allegedly placing AirTags on Iowa woman's car
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Updated: 5:35 PM CST Dec 12, 2022
BAD THINGS. IT鈥橲 STALKING BY USING A GPS DEVICE. WHAT鈥橲 MORE, POLICE SAY IT鈥橲 THE FIRST TIME THEY鈥橵E INVESTIGATED A CASE OF APPLE AIRTAG STALKING. THEY ARRESTED 63 YEAR OLD CARL SHAVER LAST WEEK. HE鈥橲 CHARGED WITH ALLEGEDLY PLACING THE LOCATION, TRANSMITTING DEVICES ON A WOMAN鈥橲 CAR, ONE ON HER SPARE TIRE, ONE IN A WALLET AND ONE IN THE CAR. SUBFRAME. POLICE SAY THEY ARRESTED SHAVER AFTER HE TRACKED HER CAR TO THE WEST POINT POLICE STATION. THE AIRTAGS WERE ACTUALLY IN THE EVIDENCE ROOM AFTER POLICE REMOVED THEM FROM HER CAR. COURT RECORDS SHOW HE THOUGHT THE VICTIM WAS HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH A POLICE OFFICER. VERY SERIOUS. PEOPLE ARE OBVIOUSLY NOW USING TECHNOLOGY TO STALK OTHER INDIVIDUALS SO SMALL, BUT YET SO POWERFUL. JACOB MEADE OWNS MOBILE SPOT, A PHONE REPAIR SHOP IN CLIVE. HE DEMONSTRATES HOW AIRTAG IS WORK. THEY鈥橰E ABOUT THE SIZE OF A QUARTER AND MOSTLY USED TO KEEP TRACK OF THINGS. THINGS LIKE TRACKING YOUR LOST PURSE, LOST WALLET, LOST KEYS, OR SOMETIMES EVEN HAVE AN AIRTAG ON A KID. WHEN YOU鈥橰E GOING TO AN IOWA STATE FAIR. I CAN CLICK ON MY KEYS. IT鈥橲 GOING TO TELL ME, HEY, IT鈥橲 LOCATED AT 8421, THE APPLE FIND MY NETWORK CAN LOCATE THE TAGS AND SHOW THE LOCATION ON THE APP. IT COULD EVEN PLAY A NOISE TO HELP YOU LOCATE THE TAG. NOW SOME CUSTOMERS ARE ASKING ME ABOUT THE TAGS. MORE NEFARIOUS USES. WE DO FIND THAT FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME, TECHNOLOGY IS BEING USED FOR GOOD, BUT THAT ABUSERS DO USE THAT TECHNOLOGY FOR BAD AS WELL. POLICE SAY THEY CAN HELP IF YOU THINK YOU鈥橰E BEING STALKED. IF THAT鈥橲 HAPPENING, THEN WE CAN TRY TO LOOK INTO THAT AND FIGURE OUT IF THERE IS AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE THAT鈥橲 ATTACHED SOMEWHERE TO SOMETHING THAT鈥橲 MAYBE TRACKING THEM. BECAUSE NOW WE KNOW THIS TECHNOLOGY IS OUT THERE AND WE KIND OF KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR. NOW. AND NOW THESE APPLE AIRTAGS HAVE A FEATURE WHERE THEY WILL NOTIFY ANYBODY WITH THE RIGHT IPHONE WITHIN THE AREA WHERE THEY ARE. AND THAT鈥橲 WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS VICTIM. SHE GOT A NOTIFICATION ON HER PHONE SAYING THERE WAS AN AIRTAG NEAR HERE. SHE WENT DIRECTLY TO POLICE. AND NOW WE KNOW THE REST OF THE STORY. WE鈥橰E LIVE IN WEST DES MOINES, TODD MAGEL. KCCI 8 NEWS. IOWA鈥橲 NEWS LEADER. HERE鈥橲 HOW YOU CAN PROTECT YOURSELF FROM AIRTAG TRACKING. IF YOU鈥橰E AN IPHONE USER, TURN ON THE FIND MY PHONE FUNCTION. IF YOU RECEIVE AN ALERT THAT AN AIRTAG HAS BEEN DETECTED, TAP THE ALERT. THEN TAP CONTINUE AND PLAY SOUND. TODD MENTIONED THE AIRTAG WILL MAKE AN ALERT NOISE. YOU CAN HEAR IF IT鈥橲 NEARBY. ANDROID USERS CAN USE THIRD PARTY APPS LIKE TRACKER TO
Man arrested on stalking charges after allegedly placing AirTags on Iowa woman's car
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Updated: 5:35 PM CST Dec 12, 2022
An Iowa man is accused of stalking after allegedly placing AirTags on a woman's car. "It's stalking by using GPS device," West Des Moines Police Sgt. Jason Bryan said. "People are now obviously using technology to stalk other individuals."Court documents say Carl Shawver used three Apple AirTags to keep track of a woman he referred to as his wife, even though the two never had a relationship. He allegedly placed the AirTags in different locations on her car.The woman contacted West Des Moines Police when she found the first AirTag. Two days later, the woman found a second AirTag on her car. The woman turned that one over to police, then took her vehicle to a nearby Firestone shop. Employees at Firestone found a third AirTag.West Des Moines Police say they arrested Shawver after he tracked the AirTags to the police station. A criminal complaint says Shawver thought the woman was having an affair with a police officer and showed up to a restricted area of the police department looking for the woman.Police then arrested Shawver.
POLK COUNTY, Iowa — An Iowa man is accused of stalking after allegedly placing AirTags on a woman's car.
"It's stalking by using GPS device," West Des Moines Police Sgt. Jason Bryan said. "People are now obviously using technology to stalk other individuals."
Court documents say Carl Shawver used three Apple AirTags to keep track of a woman he referred to as his wife, even though the two never had a relationship. He allegedly placed the AirTags in different locations on her car.
The woman contacted West Des Moines Police when she found the first AirTag.
Two days later, the woman found a second AirTag on her car. The woman turned that one over to police, then took her vehicle to a nearby Firestone shop. Employees at Firestone found a third AirTag.
West Des Moines Police say they arrested Shawver after he tracked the AirTags to the police station. A criminal complaint says Shawver thought the woman was having an affair with a police officer and showed up to a restricted area of the police department looking for the woman.
Police then arrested Shawver.
