PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — A Port St. Lucie woman is speaking out after discovering a hidden Bluetooth tracking device on her car that was allegedly placed there by her boyfriend.
Her story comes just weeks after our reporting on the hidden dangers of Apple AirTags and other Bluetooth tracking devices being used to stalk unsuspecting victims. The latest victim came forward to share her experience exclusively with CBS12 News.
The 22-year-old woman asked not to be identified for safety reasons.
“It was a great relationship,” she said. “We definitely loved each other.”
She said she was in a loving, committed relationship with 46-year-old Jeremiah Sauter for more than a year, until late last month, when she found a Bluetooth tracking device, similar to an Apple AirTag, hidden under the hood of her SUV.
“My trust and my safety has definitely been broken,” she said. “I got a notification on my phone that a tracking device had been following me. My heart dropped and I was scared.”
She immediately called the police, and a report was filed on Sept. 18. At the time, she didn’t suspect Sauter.
Later that day, however, her suspicions grew. She said she realized it was her boyfriend who had allegedly been tracking her every move.
“He was a jealous person, always asking what I was doing or where I was going,” she said.
She confronted Sauter and said she found tracking data on his phone showing the last location she visited before discovering the device.
See also: Florida law cracks down on high-tech tracking devices used in crimes
“He tried to deny it and act like he had no idea what was on his cell phone,” she said.
According to the arrest affidavit, detectives searched Sauter’s phone and home in Port St. Lucie on October 10 and arrested him. He was released on bond the next day.
CBS12’s Antoinette DelBel knocked on Sauter’s door for comment, but no one answered.
The woman said she’s sharing her story to empower others and warn them about how easily everyday technology can be turned into a tool for control.
“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 said.
Sauter is now facing felony charges for illegally installing a tracking device and using a two-way communications device. An update to state law that went into effect October 1 now makes these types of stalking crimes a felony.
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