Port St. Lucie girl says boyfriend used Bluetooth machine to stalk her

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — A Port St. Lucie girl is talking out after discovering a hidden Bluetooth monitoring machine on her automotive that was allegedly positioned there by her boyfriend.

Her story comes simply weeks after our reporting on the hidden risks of Apple AirTags and different Bluetooth monitoring units getting used to stalk unsuspecting victims. The newest sufferer got here ahead to share her expertise solely with CBS12 News.

The 22-year-old girl requested to not be recognized for security causes.

“It was a great relationship,” she mentioned. “We definitely loved each other.”

She mentioned she was in a loving, dedicated relationship with 46-year-old Jeremiah Sauter for greater than a yr, till late final month, when she discovered a Bluetooth monitoring machine, just like an Apple AirTag, hidden below the hood of her SUV.

“My trust and my safety has definitely been broken,” she mentioned. “I got a notification on my phone that a tracking device had been following me. My heart dropped and I was scared.”

She instantly referred to as the police, and a report was filed on Sept. 18. At the time, she didn’t suspect Sauter.

Later that day, nevertheless, her suspicions grew. She mentioned she realized it was her boyfriend who had allegedly been monitoring her each transfer.

“He was a jealous person, always asking what I was doing or where I was going,” she mentioned.

She confronted Sauter and mentioned she discovered monitoring knowledge on his cellphone displaying the final location she visited earlier than discovering the machine.

See additionally: Florida regulation cracks down on high-tech monitoring units utilized in crimes

“He tried to deny it and act like he had no idea what was on his cell phone,” she mentioned.

According to the arrest affidavit, detectives searched Sauter’s cellphone and residential in Port St. Lucie on October 10 and arrested him. He was launched on bond the subsequent day.

CBS12’s Antoinette DelBel knocked on Sauter’s door for remark, however nobody answered.

The girl mentioned she’s sharing her story to empower others and warn them about how simply on a regular basis know-how may be become a instrument for management.

“The last person I would think is someone I’m in love with, that I planned a future with — that would be the last person I would’ve thought of,” she mentioned.

Sauter is now going through felony costs for illegally putting in a monitoring machine and utilizing a two-way communications machine. An replace to state regulation that went into impact October 1 now makes most of these stalking crimes a felony.

Find extra methods to remain updated along with your newest native information. Sign up for our publication to get the day’s high headlines delivered proper to your inbox. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the most important tales and might’t miss video.