GPS device placed by car dealership led to suspect in woman's abduction
Police rescued a woman abducted off a Philadelphia street and arrested a suspect Wednesday, thanks to a GPS device placed in the suspect’s car by the dealership that sold the vehicle.
The victim is Carlesha Freeland-Gaither, a 22-year-old nurse’s assistant whose abduction was recorded by a surveillance camera and broadcast on national TV. The abduction suspect, 37-year-old Delvin Barnes, is also a suspect in the attempted murder of a 16-year-old girl in Virginia, the Philadelphia Enquirer, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and NBC News report. George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley noted the GPS connection at his blog.
Police found Freeland-Gaither and Barnes in a car parked in a lot in Jessup, Maryland. A big break in the case came when Virginia authorities recognized Barnes from the video. Investigators then used a GPS to track Barnes. A car dealership had placed the device in Barnes’ Ford Taurus because he had bad credit and the vehicle could be repossessed.
It’s unclear if Barnes was aware of the device, according to the Washington Post. Some dealerships place the device in cars without the customer’s knowledge, the Post says, citing a story in the Tampa Bay Times.
