It's not so stout. Maybe maybe he's making a mistake like he did the first time. >> Okay. Um, so where we're at is I did a little bit more digging. The serial number that's on the inside of the earbud and the serial number that's in the uh case itself are now actually they're actually different versus what was originally synced to his phone. Okay. The only way that can happen is if they're switched. It's there. It's it's a digital footprint. >> Accidentally, I put them in my pocket, but when I got to my car, I put them right in the um I never took them out my car. They were never in my house, so I brought them back to work. >> I know. W and I were just talking about that. >> How you doing, man? Good. >> This is doing good. I'm >> Yes. This is Cody. Um, we pretty much just have a situation going on with um, some thievery on my AirPods. >> Okay. >> Um, Tuesday I left them in the bag room at the facility and Miss Lee, Cody, my lead, uh, gathered them for me, wrote property, wrapped them up. I came in this morning and they're gone. Um, later in the day, a kind of light bulb went off in my head to, uh, tag them or track them and, uh, I got the address of where they were at. Um, I ended up finding out that um, the address does belong to an employee here who works at uh, the striker, which is like a bag area. And, um, when I did go over and ask him, I kind of went over and I was trying to find out who lives where. So, I just said, "Yeah, me." And I go, "Oh, awesome. Do you have my AirPods?" Because I pulled out my phone and I showed him. They're at >> Are you wearing them? >> Nope. He goes, "Oh, I got them for you. They're in my bag. They're in my bag. I got them." And I go, "Okay." So, he hands me these AirPods. And after I um connected the AirPods and pulled them all up and whatnot, when I pulled them up, it said, "Not your AirPods." And when they connected, they said, "Camani's AirPods." I said, "Who's Kamani?" He goes, "That's my son." I go, "Okay, well, your son has mine and I have his. I just like my stuff back." And why did you take my stuff in the back room when it's not yours to begin with? >> Okay. >> You know, property of was written right on it. >> So, show him that picture. >> Yeah. Let me show Let me let me show you here. So, can we find his boss and maybe they call him and tell him to come back here? >> I don't think he's I don't think he's going to come back. >> So, he's going to risk getting fired over >> I believe so. >> Just returning some AirPods. >> So, this is the photo that Cody had sent me once he did put them up and he put them inside a cubby there and shut them up. >> Yeah. >> And I have come back and >> and that's the blue pouch that they belong in. >> Yes. So, Buffalo Bills pouch. And um >> where would I find those? >> The case is uh >> Yeah, the case is inside the bag still. And then when I came in this morning, >> that's what it looked like. >> Yeah, we all work for the same uh supervisor. That would be Allan or JD. >> Where are they? >> Um they're out on the ramp right now. Um I I I'm sure he could grab one of them, you know, get them over here if you guys need to be. >> I just want to file a report on it. I'm sorry. >> So, if we can get a hold of them and get your AirPods back, >> I'm will I tried that. Oh, yeah. I'm willing. I tried that a couple times and we'll we'll we'll work on that and then we'll see how that goes. >> On July 9th, 2022, the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office responded to Punta Gorda Airport on a reported employee theft. An airport worker reported that a pair of Apple AirPods had gone missing from a secured bagroom after being stored overnight by a co-orker. The complainant used Apple's Find My Network to ping the device. The signal returned a residential address belonging to a coworker named Matthew. When confronted, Matthew produced earbuds that paired as Kamani's AirPods, his son's device, not the complainant. A serial number mismatch between the returned hardware and the complainants Apple pairing history became the evidentiary foundation for the arrest that followed. >> Do you know this dude's phone number at all? >> Yeah. Oh, yeah. He's he just was texting me. I'm not answering him. I'm not saying nothing to him. >> Let me uh He's just doing the BS. He's sticking to what he's saying. Like that's what he's doing. Can you >> that is >> he stole it to give it back to him though. >> Huh? >> I said he thinks he stole it but he gave it back to him. >> Let me let me call this guy and see what the other guy is saying. I have no idea. Like I said I have no clue. So >> okay guys, my book bag always comes home every day. But I brought the book bag back. to work when he said >> I can't believe Oh, you got >> just hang up real quick. Let me let me just save everybody a lot lot of trouble here. >> Okay. >> All right. >> You got to hang up. Yeah. Come on. >> All right. Does your son have similar looking AirPods? >> No. Not even the same case or anything? >> It's not the same size. >> And the ones he had, he don't even have it. I bought it. It's the long ones. It cannot. >> You got AirPod Pros. AirPod Pros are smaller and they're newer. He had the old original ones that's a $100. >> Who's got the newer ones? >> The kid. That new kid. I don't know who he is from your his >> and your son's got the older ones. >> Yeah. They can't fit in the same case. And I just asked him anything but Target. >> And I get that. >> So I said, "Come on, where's your AirPods?" He said, "I don't even have my AirPods right now." I said, "So it could it wouldn't make sense because if he h even if he had his AirPods, it would connect." You understand what I'm saying? Once he opened his iPhone, right, and I open that case, it's going to connect. >> Any iPhone is going to connect anyone. >> It's It's just a connection. >> Does he Are they in a Join case? >> No, he had I gave him back the case. I gave him >> Yeah, we gave him everything because we're not trying to steal nobody AirPods. >> I don't think you are. >> Yeah. Come. Could you find out where you Once he connected to the AirPod? I would have did it out of my phone then if I knew cuz I'm not trying to get him in. No. This is crazy. This is crazy. >> Don't call Logan and have Logan show him a picture of your AirPods >> on FaceTime or something. >> Don't even say the police is here. Just say, "Yo, I need you to get my AirPods and I need you to show me a video." Because this right here, we spoke. He asked me. He said it's not connected. I found the AirPods and brought them back to work. I didn't hide them in my car or hide them under the dresser. They was in my book bag. I had intentions on bringing them back. >> Wow. Jake, >> I knew we've been together 19 years. 10 years now. My children. >> All right. Is there anything else I can do for you? >> Have a good day. >> Thank you, man. >> Yep. They work from 4 to 9 4 to 9:30 hard >> 4:00 a.m. >> Yes. >> Yeah. >> Because it's there's a lot of people. >> Sure. >> So he'd rather go to the baggage claim bathrooms back that are back through that door. >> Mhm. >> Because it's a lot of times it's much quieter. >> Sure. >> And I need >> Yeah. Okay. All right. I >> Some people are more private. >> Yeah, understandable. >> He's awfully concerned about losing a job. I understand. >> This is where you deal with >> on your little golf ball. Is there a way you guys could park it on the opposite side like Mason? >> Yeah. Stop. >> And this other the supervisor is being deployed soon. Don't hurt me. All over all over your boots. >> He's He's in there freaking out. So >> why is he freaking out? >> I this I we got to talk about this other stuff. >> Matt, >> Matthew. Okay. Do you guys have like an office or like a conference room or something? >> You don't want to talk. [clears throat] >> Oh, sorry. I guess we need to get out. >> Sorry, Donna. >> All right, bud. We're going to start with the basics. Do you have ID on you? driver's license or something I can look at. >> Very embarrassed from what he did to me. It seems like I'm guilty now. It seems like I'm I'm the guilty one. I don't like that. >> No one said that. That's why I'm interviewing you. >> That's why I hung up on you yesterday cuz you told me I'm guilty because I'm I'm >> talking too much. Yeah. I mean, have a seat, man. Sit down. >> Just Just relax. >> Yeah. You're too You're too worked up for no reason. >> I want to go home. >> Right in mind. Do you want to talk to me about what happened yesterday? So, >> perfect. All right. So, kind of give me a rundown as to what happened cuz we got a call after the fact. So, all I have is one side of the story. Okay. So, give me your side. >> Um, I found the the um I was going to get hos charger and I got permission from him. I went in the back room. I looked for a charger. I didn't see one. I seen H's phone charging with the C charger. I said, "Bro, can I use your charger?" It's a It's a drawer. The plastic thing where they keep law stuff. So, I went in there and I seen the AirPods in there. So, I went to take them to Mary and BSO. >> Where where is it that you you found this? Like, kind of explain it to me cuz I'm not familiar with this building at all. So, >> in the bedroom in the bedroom back there, it's like a little plastic thing. And they put stuff that they find from customers glasses. We have sunglasses or whatever. And I looked in there and I seen it and I took the the AirPods >> accidentally. I put them in my pocket. But when I got to my car, I put them right in the um I never took them out my car. They were never in my house. So I brought them back to work in my book bag the next day. >> Okay. >> So when he says, "Hey, do you know anybody who lives on Laura Street?" I said, "Yeah, that's my address." He says, "Have you seen a pair of AirPods?" I said, "Oh yeah, I found those AirPods at work. I meant to give them to Mary, but I have them here." He said, "No, they're not here." I said, "Yo, brother." Yeah. I go I said, "Go get them up my book bag." He went in my book bag, got the AirPods, and said thank you. He went and spoke to Cody. Cody told him because it's not connecting to the Bluetooth that I took the AirPods out and gave him my son's AirPods. I was like, "Bro, nobody went inside the bag, but it's my book bag." I even called my son just to double check. Did you go in my bag? He says, "No." So, he came back again and asked me. He said, "Bro, really? I I think you found them and you switched them out. >> I said, "Bro, why would you say that? You don't even know me. Why would you think that I'm lying to you?" He's like, "Nah, man. [ __ ] that, man." You know, walking back and forth like, "Nah, man. I gave you a ride home. How you going to do that to me?" I said, "Cuz you gave me a ride home. Stupid [ __ ] I said, "I'm giving them to you." He said, "No, those ain't mine. Those ain't mine." I say, "Yeah." The central legal question is whether Matthew's removal of the AirPods from a communal lost property bin constitutes theft under Florida law. Florida statute section 82014 defines theft as knowingly obtaining the property of another with intent to deprive, even temporarily. Matthew's own admission that he took the AirPods from the bin knowing they were not his satisfies the knowledge element on its face. His stated intention to return them does not negate the Actis Reus. Courts have consistently held that temporary deprivation is sufficient under section 812014. A separate and underutilized charge applies independently of theft. Florida statute section 705102 imposes a statutory duty on any person who finds lost property valued at $25 or more. That person must either report the fine to a law enforcement officer or surrender the property to a designated lost and found within a reasonable time. AirPods Pro retail at approximately $249, well above the statutory threshold. Matthews failure to report creates independent exposure under section 705103, a secondderee misdemeanor. The digital forensics dimension of this case raises a question courts have not yet uniformly addressed. Can consumer-grade Apple device identification data constitute probable cause for a theft arrest under the totality of circumstances test established in Illinois versus Gates in 1983. Probable cause does not require proof beyond reasonable doubt. It requires a fair probability that a crime occurred. Here, three independent evidentiary streams converge. the find my location data, Matthew's own admissions, and the physical serial number discrepancy confirmed by the deputy through direct comparison. Each stream is corroborative of the others. No single data point carries the case their convergence does. That is precisely the totality of circumstances framework Illinois versus Gates requires. Matthew was interviewed in a non-custodial setting at his workplace before any arrest was made. Under Burkimer versus McCarti, decided in 1984, Miranda warnings are not required in non-custodial investigative interviews. Matthews admissions that he took the AirPods, pocketed them, transported them off the premises, and had his son interact with the case in the car were voluntarily given and are fully admissible. Matthew later invoked his right to remain silent after the arrest was announced. That invocation is valid and governs all questioning from that moment forward. However, under Missouri versus Sebert decided in 2004, a late invocation does not suppress statements made prior to it. The admissions Matthew gave during the workplace interview stand. His subsequent silence cannot retroactively shield what he already said. >> So, what I'm going to do is I'm going to kind of back up to what something you told me earlier. you went in and that's called the striker area is this striker >> where he works as a striker where the bag carts are where we went to the that's a baggage um that's where the carousels are that's where we put baggage from >> so you walked over to the carousel side >> and to get a charger for somebody right >> now you told me you went into this little container and took a pair of earbuds out of there >> were they your earbuds >> no >> then why'd you take them out of there >> they have a lost and found box in it and they put stuff that they find. >> Okay. >> And I just took it I I brought them >> What color were they? >> I don't know. I didn't look at the AirPods. I know the case was blue. >> Case was blue. Okay. So, what was when you took them out of that bin? What was your intentions >> to give it to Mary right away? >> I had plans going and I know for a fact that if it's not on if it's not on, you can't find. So if you're if you're an employee here, is there a policy that says if you find something in a bin, you're to notify person A? >> Anybody? So if you find anything >> you could So that day you could have notified anybody that you found those earbuds. >> No, no, no. I mean if if it's no protocol. If you find something, you call Mary, you call JD. It's like you just call somebody and tell them. >> So you you found these earbuds, you identified them as being in a blue case, you take them home. Um, >> I just put them in my book bag. They never went in my house. >> So, how did your son get involved with trying to ID who they belong to? >> My son did was plug his charger. >> He plugged his charger into the ear air earpod charger in my car. >> Okay. >> And then how cuz you you had mentioned how do you know who these belong to? >> Yeah. >> So, did they pop up anything when he >> No. >> plugged them in or sent them to his phone? >> Okay. change or delete from the statement you given me. >> I I did not do anything to that AirPod thing but put it in my book bag. >> Okay. >> It never left my book bag. It was in my >> You left the property though, right? >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> I accidentally put the AirPods when I got >> in your pocket cuz you told me earlier you put them in your pocket. >> I when I got to my car I felt the AirPods in it. I put them in my book bag. So >> then you put them in your book bag. >> Yeah. So I can bring them back to work. >> Okay. All right. Anything else you want to add? I >> put them in my outfit to hide him so when the police came in No, I brought them back to work for him. >> Anything else you want to add, change or delete from what we talked about? >> Is there anything you and I talked about off tape that we have not talked about on tape? >> Yeah, I just want to talk about how you said you you know that I switched the case out and that's >> No, no, I didn't say I know you did. I said they're switched out. They are because the serial numbers and the the identification number, right? No, I confirmed it by opening it up, visually looking at it, taking his phone, comparing the two, and seeing that they're different. >> That's not Apple, though. All you got to do is call Apple. They're going to tell you the numbers. >> Okay, that's how I That's how I know they're different. I'm just telling you. I can look at the case. There's a a very tiny serial number and ID number inside the case. That ID number also syncs to the phone, including the serial number to the buds that go in your ears. >> The serial numbers are the same, but the buds are different. Just trying to figure out how the cases got switched out. >> It's not switched out. Maybe maybe he's making a mistake like he did the first time. >> Okay. Anything else? >> No. >> All right. Have you and I >> All right, man. I'm back. >> Matthew raised a racial bias allegation during the arrest sequence. Under the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause, selective enforcement of criminal law on the basis of race is unconstitutional. as established in Yik Wo versus Hopkins in 1886. However, selective enforcement requires a showing that similarly situated individuals of a different race were treated differently under materially similar circumstances. Nothing in this footage supports that threshold. Probable cause established through objective serial number forensics digital location data and voluntary admissions is raceneutral by definition. The allegation, while constitutionally protected, does not visiate the arrest. The serial number comparison performed by the deputy is the tactical centerpiece of this investigation. Apple's ecosystem assigns three independent identifiers to each AirPods unit. The case, serial number, the individual Bud serals, and the device pairing history stored under the owner's Apple ID. These three markers must align to confirm hardware authenticity. When the deputy opened the returned case and compared it against the complainant's phone pairing history, he found the bud serials did not match. This discrepancy is objective device stored and independent of any witnesses credibility. Under Smith versus Maryland, decided in 1979. No Fourth Amendment protection attaches to data voluntarily conveyed to third-party networks, including Apple's pairing infrastructure. The deputy's methodology is legally sound. His failure to document the comparison process on camera, however, is a chain of custody gap that defense council could exploit at trial. >> Sorry it took so long. Um, so where we're at is I did a little bit more digging. the serial number that's on the inside of the earbud and the serial number that's in the uh case itself are now actually they're actually different versus what was originally synced to his phone. Okay. The only way that can happen is if they're switched. It's there it's a digital footprint. I mean there's there's no way of explaining that case and those earbuds. Um, you told me that you took them out of that bin, put them in your pocket, took them home, put them in your book bag, in your car. You told me that you had your son plug them in, turn them on to see if they belong to anybody. So, at some point in there, earbuds got switched. Whether they're at your house, with your son, lost, that those aren't the right earbuds. I don't know whose earbuds those are, but they're ours now. We're taking him as evidence. All right. So, with that said, you are going to be charged. >> Could you Could you Could you give me something? They saying I stole this dude AirPods. I need I need you. They saying I stole his case. Not the AirPods. >> No, the AirPods >> and the case are They're wrong. They're not the same. They don't belong to each other. They're all different serial numbers. Now that I went back and and found a new >> They trying to take me to jail. I already spoke to Apple yesterday, so I'm just going to file a lawsuit. Yeah, I'm going to [clears throat] jail. So, just just bail me out cuz there's no bookings and I I know it's not true. >> Like, it's okay now that I'm going to jail because when I find out that he made a mistake, it's going to be a lawsuit. everything. >> Yeah. >> You have anything on you, man? That's going to stick me hurt me or my partner here? >> Yeah. I'm just going to choose the right to remain silent. >> Okay. You already gave me a statement, so you don't really tell me anymore. You already admitted to taking them. You told me you took them out of the den. You told me you took them home. You took property that didn't belong to you, man. It's the bottom line. You knew those earbuds weren't yours and you took them anyway. >> I believe you thought I was guilty. You wanted to rap. >> What's Grace have to do with it? >> Because you don't have no reason to say I stole his AirPods. You don't even know me. You told me you took them out of the bin and put them in your pocket and drove them home. >> Were they yours? Did you pick them up and go, "Those are my blue buffalo." >> Mary and BSO. >> That's theft. Period. However you want to try to chalk it up, it's theft, dude. You took something that didn't belong to you and you deprived somebody of their property. >> And then when you guys >> when you asked me for it, I told him I had it >> after you stole. That's why I'm glad this happened about having documents. All of this right here. >> Deputy receives a B+. His independent forensic verification before arrest demonstrates investigative competence well above the baseline for a property crime response. Non-leading interview technique produced admissible voluntary admissions. His handling of the racial allegation redirecting to evidence without dismissal reflects correct equal protection protocol. The deduction from an A comes from two procedural gaps. He did not advise Matthew at the interview's outset that he was free to leave, which while not legally required in a non-custodial setting, forecloses future voluntariness challenges as a matter of best practice. The serial number comparison was also not documented on camera, creating a discoverable evidentiary gap. Matthew receives a C. His admission that he knowingly took property from a lost property bin. He had no authority over satisfies the knowledge element of section 812014. His failure to immediately report the find violated section 705102. His decision to speak at length without invoking his fifth amendment right earlier once the investigative direction became clear produced a record of admissions he cannot now retract. the serial number discrepancy he cannot satisfactorily explain. Credit is given for cooperating with the interview, directing the complainant to his book bag, voluntarily and correctly invoking his right to remain silent at the point of arrest, which is the constitutionally appropriate moment to do so. Joe, the complainant, receives an A minus. His proactive preservation of find my location data and co-worker photographs before law enforcement arrived transformed a he said he said dispute into a corroborated multissource evidentiary file. The deduction comes from his decision to confront Matthew directly before deputies were on scene. That confrontation introduced a chain of custody variable. Matthew's access to the AirPods under social pressure before the evidentiary baseline was formally documented. Three lessons emerge from this case. First, finding property you did not lose does not give you discretionary authority over it. Florida law imposes an affirmative duty to report. Failure to report is a standalone criminal charge independent of what happens to the property afterward. Second, consumer device ecosystems now generate forensic evidence that rivals traditional physical trace evidence in probitative value. Serial numbers pairing histories and location pings are objective timestamped and device stored. They do not depend on a witness's memory or credibility. Third, voluntary pre-arrest statements made outside of custody carry no Miranda protection. Once a subject speaks in a non-custodial setting, those words become part of the evidentiary record. Invoking silence later preserves the future. It does not erase the past. Let us know if there is an interaction or legal topic that you would like us to discuss in the comments below. Thank you for watching and don't forget to subscribe to our channel for more content on police court interactions.