Digital Trends

North Carolina police caught a burglar, then lured in his buddy with a fake text message — and recovered most of the loot.

There are times when texting can be dangerous to your health. They don’t usually add “and your liberty” but that was the case for a pair of North Carolina teens.

Police in Terrell, NC, had been called to a series of break-ins at businesses, then went to the apartment of a 16-year-old suspect, who promptly fled, outrunning officers. However, Mayor Coy Reid told local paper the Hickory Daily Record, “when we lost track of him, the deputies searched several nearby areas. One of the deputies walked about 50 yards from where the suspect was last seen, and found him laying down behind a tree.”

Of course, he had his cell phone with him, and as he was being arrested, received a text asking if he’d been caught.

Police officers returned a message saying no, and asking the texter to pick up the suspect. When he arrived, the second teen was arrested, and shortly after officer found a van containing most of the loot – which was then returned to its rightful owners.
“We think they stole all of them, and are selling them to a chop shop or to someone else for money,” Reid said. “We found a large amount of cash on the suspects.”