A Gainesville resident used the Find My iPhone app to find his stolen phone and help Gainesville police officers make an arrest connected to three burglaries.
Two roommates were in their Southwest Sixth Street home at the time of one of the incidents Thursday morning. One of the residents woke up around 5 a.m. and noted the house was secured as the other roommate slept on the couch, according to a GPD report. When a friend came over to visit at 7:30 a.m., the front door was wide-open.
Both residents noted missing items including approximately $100 in cash, an iPhone and an Xbox One. In total, police estimate $1,000 in items were stolen, according to the report.
After using the Find My iPhone app, one roommate found his phone on the roof of a nearby home next door to the house where 21-year-old Santa Fe student Christian Alvarez was arrested the following day.
Alvarez pawned the Xbox One, according to the report. His ID and fingerprints were provided on the pawn shop form. After investigating other items Alvarez pawned, Gainesville police were able to identify two other homes on Southwest Sixth Street that had been burglarized over the last week.
Under questioning, Alvarez admitted to burglarizing the home along with the two other houses. He told police he robbed the houses because he had been having money problems and was drunk at the time.
Alvarez was charged with multiple burglary, grand theft and dealing in stolen property charges. He was released on $130,000 bail Saturday. He could not be reached for comment.
Alvarez
