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Two Arrested in AirTag-Linked Odessa Home Invasion Caught on Video

Deputies point to the case as a stark example of consumer trackers being used to stalk victims to their homes.

Overview

  • Investigators say the suspects taped an Apple AirTag under a couple’s SUV on Aug. 19 to follow them to their Odessa, Florida home.
  • Sheriff’s office video shows two armed men rushing the couple in the driveway and forcing them into the garage before an alarm prompted the attackers to flee.
  • Police identified the suspects as Luis Charles, 26, and Odardy Maldonado-Rodriguez, 32, based on the investigation and released footage.
  • Tampa police arrested Charles during an Oct. 8 traffic stop, and Maldonado-Rodriguez was captured Oct. 10 in neighboring Pasco County.
  • Both are jailed in Hillsborough County without bond on charges including armed burglary, two counts of armed kidnapping, robbery with a firearm, false imprisonment and illegal installation of a tracking device, with jail records also listing an added sexual-battery charge and an ICE notification for Charles.