DATE: June 13, 2024
SUBJECT: Daytime Burglar Using a Signal Jammer Apprehended
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-NR-0612
CONTACT: Sheriff Noah Robinson
AUTHORITY: Sheriff Noah Robinson
The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office has made an arrest in the case of a daytime residential burglary that occurred in Cambridge Village in northern Vanderburgh County.
On Sunday, June 09, 2024 a couple came home to find two men inside their Cambridge Village home. Both suspects fled the scene, with one escaping in a gray Jeep.
A description of the vehicle was relayed to the Sheriff’s Office. A deputy in the area spotted a vehicle matching the description of the Jeep southbound on Highway 41 near Baseline Road. The driver of the vehicle (later identified as Jaime Yovany Riquelme Riveras) matched the description given by the homeowners.
Riveras told deputies he was traveling from St. Louis, Missouri to Orlando, Florida. He denied having made any stops in the Evansville area. A query was then made through the FLOCK camera system. The suspect vehicle and matching license plate was found on FLOCK entering Cambridge Village approximately one hour prior to the time of the burglary. Cambridge Village recently partnered with the Sheriff’s Office and installed the FLOCK license plate reader system in their neighborhood.
During a search of the vehicle, deputies located pry bars, cell phones, as well as clothing matching the suspect`s description given by the homeowners. A signal-jamming device was also found in the rear of the vehicle. This device was specifically designed to scramble Wi-Fi and cellular signals and is illegal to operate under federal law. When activated, cameras and other security devices dependent on Wi-Fi or cellular signals cease to function. While stopping the vehicle the deputy’s in-car computer became disabled, likely a result of the still operating signal jammer. The FLOCK system is largely immune from signal jammers since images are stored locally in a buffer and transmitted once the lost connection is reestablished.
Riveras was interviewed at the Sheriff’s Office Operations Center about his involvement in the burglary. He requested an attorney and did not provide any additional statements. He did tell investigators that he arrived in the United States in April and was born in Chile.
Based on the eyewitness accounts and images from the FLOCK system, a search warrant was granted for data extraction of the two seized cell phones. One phone was taken from Riveras during his arrest and the other was seized from the vehicle. GPS location data showed Riveras’ phone was at the victim’s residence around the time of the burglary.
Sheriff Noah Robinson stated, “Criminals armed with the latest technology were still no match for some quick-thinking homeowners and observant Sheriff’s deputies. I want to thank the Cambridge Village Homeowners Association for taking a chance on FLOCK and partnering with the Sheriff’s Office. The system will continue to pay dividends down the road.”
The Sheriff’s Office is working with Federal law enforcement partners to pursue additional charges related to the jamming device. GPS data recovered from the suspects phones have already tied the suspects to several out of state burglaries. While Riveras’ accomplice remains at large, the investigation remains active.
ARRESTED:
Jaime Yovany Riquelme Riveras (pictured above), 29, of Araucanía, Chile. Burglary as a Level 4 Felony, Theft as a Level 6 Felony, Criminal Mischief as a Class B Misdemeanor, Interference with Reporting of a Crime as a Class A Misdemeanor, Operating without Ever Receiving a License as a Class C Misdemeanor.
Pictured above: Suspect vehicle and license plate imaged by Flock.
Pictured above: Signal jammer found in suspect vehicle, powered on.
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