On Monday, April 3, 2017, at approximately 2:45 p.m., a woman was attempting to sell an iPhone after agreeing to meet with a potential buyer on Glenview Place in Waldorf.
The woman coordinated the sale with the use of a cell phone app. During the sale, the buyer suddenly grabbed the woman’s phone and fled. The woman reported the incident to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office. The following day, the victim located her cell phone on another app indicating it was for sale. She notified detectives and then contacted the seller and agreed to buy the phone. The suspect set the meeting for 1:30 p.m. in a local parking lot. Officers set up an operation and apprehended the suspect as he was attempting to sell the phone. Officers verified the phone for sale was indeed the phone that had been stolen from the victim the day before. The suspect, a 17-year-old male from Waldorf, was arrested and charged with theft.
The CCSO is reminding people to take precautions when meeting to sell items. Consideration should be given to making the transaction in the parking lot of a police station, during the daytime if possible. In addition, sellers and buyers are encouraged to take someone with them and to take pictures of the item being sold, especially if it has a serial number.
Officer D. Jones and Detective J. Feldman investigated.
