Man Busted After Swiped Laptop Keeps Taking His Photo

(NEWSER) - When a burglar stole Joshua Alston’s laptop, there wasn’t much the police could do. But the Newsweek writer realized there was something he could do. Alston had installed a program on the laptop that allowed him to access it remotely. He had never used it all that much but now realized it could be a "digital bloodhound." He began logging in to his laptop from afar, which could theoretically give him, and police, the IP address of the thief. More»

Kicker: It was during his probationary period

(NEWSER) - Toll booth workers can make a decent living, but maybe not this decent. A temporary bridge and tunnel officer at a Staten Island bridge allegedly skimmed $7,500 from tolls paid by drivers, reports the Staten Island Advance . Between January and March, Richard Betancourt, 22, took the $13 toll from drivers of cars but recorded them as motorcycles, which are charged only $5.50, say police. More»

Danny Lesh fools thief after finding Craigslist ad

(NEWSER) - When Danny Lesh found his stolen bike listed for sale on Craigslist and police couldn’t help him right away, he decided to take matters into his own hands. The $600 Cannondale hybrid, which had a prominent identifying sticker on it, was listed for sale for $100 and Lesh arranged to meet with the seller-slash-thief to take the bike for a test ride. But instead of coming back to pay, Lesh just rode off with his property, NBC Washington reports. More»

Alleged shoplifters resold high-end beauty products

(NEWSER) - Police say they caught a pair of women shoplifting at a JC Penney this week in the suburbs of Washington, DC. No big deal, except the women had allegedly stuffed $20,000 in stolen beauty products into their shopping bags and car trunks, the Washington Post reports. Police accuse Darquesha Wilkinson, 19, and Latasha Mungo, 24, of stealing high-end lotions, makeup, and perfume in an ongoing scheme to resell the products at cheaper prices. More»

Chicago man also accused of stealing gift cards

(NEWSER) - A Chicago man allegedly took quite a few pains to break into a dollar store and steal deodorant: Police say the suspect first stole a Bobcat loader from a construction site a block away, then used it to break the windows at West Side Family Dollar. In addition to the two cans of deodorant, he allegedly also nabbed some gift cards, but didn’t even attempt to grab the cash register. He was arrested nearby after the alarm company, which watched the entire incident via its cameras, alerted police, the Tribune reports. More»