Thief found just few doors away

A stolen iPad was ultimately responsible for recovering the Christmas gifts of two California families this weekend, the LA County Sheriff's office says. In Westlake Village, a man was reportedly woken up by a noise at 3:30AM on Christmas Day, only to discover it was a burglar in his home stealing gifts. The man chased the criminal, but quickly lost sight of him; a search by deputies yielded no results.

One of the gifts was an iPad however, already activated and traceable. The victim called police later that morning and told them the iPad was signalling it was just a few doors down. There officers arrested Patrick Krewson, a 20-year-old man visiting from Vista, and recovered all the gifts, including the iPad.

Detectives say Krewson was quickly linked to a December 22nd burglary in his hometown. There he had stolen two TVs, a notebook, and over 40 gifts meant for children, which would ultimately be found by San Diego County Sheriff's deputies during a search of his home. The gifts were reportedly returned to the family that owned them in time for Christmas. As of Tuesday, Krewson was being held in jail in lieu of a $50,000 bail.

by MacNN Staff