Couple gets stolen GPS back after man tries to sell it on Craigslist

Some clever detective work by a Summerville man and his wife helped them get their stolen GPS unit back and landed another man in jail Wednesday.

Mike Morgan, 28, from Thornton Drive, reported his GPS stolen from his vehicle on Monday. The couple lives in Wescott subdivision, where several items were reported stolen that day, North Charleston police said.

Morgan’s wife kept an eye on Craigslist following the theft and found a listing for a GPS with a serial number that matched the one they were missing, an incident report states.

Posing as a potential buyer, Morgan arranged a meeting with the item’s seller, 24-year-old Andrew Pippin of Dorchester Road, the report states.

Morgan called North Charleston police and told them of his plans to meet with Pippin at a Starbucks on Rivers Avenue. Pippin told the man he would be driving a black Chrysler 300, police said.

Police spotted the vehicle in the Starbucks parking lot Wednesday. The couple’s stolen GPS was found in the front passenger seat, the report states.

Other items in the vehicle included a drill set, a second black GPS, an electronic tablet, a speaker set and an amplifier.

Investigators are working to determine whether the other items were also stolen, Capt. Scott Deckard said.

Pippin told police he knew the person who gave him the items sometimes broke into homes and vehicles, and that the property could have been stolen.

Pippin was arrested and charged with possession of stolen property, the report states.

Reach Christina Elmore at 937-5908 or at Twitter.com/celmorePC.