Court rules that removing a GPS tracking device from a car isn't the same as stealing it

A man found a hidden GPS tracking device on his car. He removed it, and the police who put it there were so mad they arrested him for theft of government property. But a judge in Indiana found the man not guilty, reports Ars Technica:

But at trial, [Derek] Heuring's lawyers argued that the warrant to search the home and barn had been illegal. An application for a search warrant must provide probable cause to believe a crime was committed. But removing a small, unmarked object from your personal vehicle is no crime at all, Heuring's lawyers argued. Heuring had no way of knowing what the device was or who it belonged to—and certainly no obligation to leave the device on his vehicle.

An Indiana appeals court ruled against Heuring last year. But Indiana's Supreme Court seemed more sympathetic to Heuring's case during oral arguments last November.

(Image: Kaspars Dambis, CC-BY-2.0)



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