Online App Again Helps Officers Capture A Casper Cell Phone Thief
An online application has been used for the second time in a month to track the location of a cell phone thief.
Last week, a woman reported she had a number of items stolen including camping equipment, computer equipment, tools, and two cell phones, according to an affidavit filed in Natrona County Circuit Court.
She used an online app to locate her phone at a residence at South Cedar and West 11th streets.
Tuesday, officers went to the house where suspect Damian Gaylord lived. A resident took the officers to the basement where Gaylord lived with his mother. Gaylord's mother said her son had property throughout the house and outside the house.
Gaylord was not there, but an officer saw the cell phones, as well as drug paraphernalia.
Wednesday, officers went to the house again, briefly saw Gaylord, but were unable to catch up with him.
Thursday, an officer served a search warrant at the house, found Gaylord and told him he was there to recover items stolen in a burglary, specifically two phones.
Gaylord said he didn't know anything about the phones, but someone may have left them at the house.
But the officer persisted. He found the phones, camping equipment, and electronic equipment, as well as drug paraphernalia, methamphetamine and marijuana. The recovered property was valued at $800.
Gaylord was arrested and charged with two misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance and the wrongful taking or disposing of stolen property.
At his initial appearance Friday, Natrona County Circuit Court Judge Steven Brown set his bond at $750. He will have a trial later.
A phone tracking app caught another suspect four weeks ago.
On June 2, Zachary Lovelace allegedly drove a pickup to a man who was fishing at the Bessemer Bend south fishing access.
Lovelace asked for the man's cell phone to make an emergency call, but returned to the pickup and drove away. The man followed in his ATV, Lovelace drove the pickup in reverse to the man, pointed a handgun at him and ordered him to put his hands up.
The man waited until Lovelace drove away, went home, called his wife and called authorities.
His wife used an application to track the stolen phone to the 6800 block of Sharrock Road. Her action resulted in a prompt response by law enforcement to the house where Lovelace had barricaded himself.
He held off authorities in an armed standoff for about four hours until he tried to escape and was captured.
Lovelace, 37, is charged with four counts of aggravated assault, one count of felony property destruction and one count of possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent.