Sometimes bad things happen to good people. But really bad stuff doesn't happen to me. Right? Well that's what I thought. Until three weeks ago.
I saved up to buy my own iPad. Instead of buying it on a credit card, I saved the money. When it came in the mail, I couldn't believe it was mine. After my laptop broke, I haven't had my own computer for 8 months. It was so convenient. Colin and I loved it.
On a regular Tuesday, Colin and I went to the store. We were gone for 15 minutes. When we came in through the garage door, Colin saw two teenage boys in the backyard. He asked them what they were doing, they said they thought it was their friends house. We politely told them they had it wrong and to leave. But as they did, we both felt like something wasn't right. My first thought- Where was the iPad? I remembered leaving it on the coffee table right before we left but it wasn't there or anywhere in the room. It was gone. And the front door was unlocked. Colin decided to go for a drive. He spotted the kids up the road. He called the police to report that our iPad had been stolen and he was looking at the kids who had taken it. Dispatch told Colin not to approach them, to go home and an officer would meet him there. 30 minutes later, an officer showed up and asked, "so, what happened?" I was distraught. We could have gotten it back but we were told to go home and it slipped through our fingers.
I hadn't even had the iPad for a month and it got stolen out of my own house! Kids came into my house and took whatever they wanted. That is so frustrating and was really hard to forgive them.
Three weeks went by. We debated whether to buy another one or to wait another 8 months and save up for one. We never came to a decision.
Then out of the blue, I got an email from Apple informing me that a Bountiful police officer had called them with the serial number that matched my post iPad. I was given the detectives contact information. I had to read the email four times. Was this serious? Had someone really found it? Was it broken? Did anyone get busted?????? I had so many questions.
I called the officer and indeed he had an iPad. I described it to him then told him my name was engraved on the back. He hadn't noticed it with the case on. It was mine!! I could hardly believe it. I sheepishly asked if he could tell me how he came across it.
Someone had called the police with a tip that they saw a kid with an iPad with someone else's name engraved on the back. Police went to the kids house and upon searching his room found multiple stolen items- iPad, iPods and cameras. They somehow got a hold of his friends name that had been out with him and they went over and searched his room too and had the same result- expensive electronics that had been reported stolen. Evidently, kids have been going around to houses that seemed like no one was home, knocking on the door and if someone did answer, would act like they were at the wrong house. If there was no answer, they would try the front door or a window to enter and steal things. The officer told me that they had arrested 5 teenage kids who had been doing this in North Salt Lake and Bountiful. Welcome to Utah I guess.
It's a miracle we got it back in perfect condition. All of my files were deleted but that is a small price to pay to have it back.
Crazy things can happen to anyone. Even me.
