GASTONIA, N.C. — A man thought he would never see his car again after it was stolen, but he left something in it that helped officers track it down.
Mitchell Dennison is amazed he still has his Ford Escort.
“I thought my car was gone for good,” he said.
He was surprised by the way Gastonia police officer Mike Rudisill used his iPhone to track the car and arrest Blair Itson, the man he said was behind the wheel.
Dennison said he first met Itson while playing basketball at a court near UNC Charlotte. He said they met in Gastonia Thursday because Itson promised to help him get a job.
“Now I believe it was a setup the entire time,” Dennison said.
Dennison said he went into a store for batteries and when he came out, Itson, his car and his iPhone were gone.
The first officer to arrive had an iPhone, too.
“He typed my information into his thing and pulled the tracking device right up,” Dennison said.
Officer Rudsill then got on his two-way radio and told dispatchers where the car was headed.
The car was driven from Kings Mountain to Shelby, where officers stopped it.
“Like to commend the officer. That was real forward-thinking and quick thinking,” said Capt. Steve Duncan with the Gastonia Police Department.
WSOC
