LITITZ, Pa. — A Lancaster County constable has been accused of using a tracking device to stalk another man.
According to East Lampter Township Police, the constable, 56-year-old Shaun Sponaugle, placed an Apple AirTag on the victim's vehicle.
Sponaugle is charged with a misdemeanor count of stalking and a summary count of harassment, according to a criminal complaint affidavit filed by investigators this week.
LNP | LancasterOnline reports that Sponaugle, of Lititz, has been suspended from his duties as constable until the charges are resolved.
The victim contacted authorities on June 14 when he began receiving notifications on his phone that an AirTag was moving with him.
An AirTag is an Apple device that can be placed on objects like keys, wallets or purses to help owners find them should they become lost.
The $29 devices are also designed to discourage people from using them to track others. When someone places an AirTag on someone else's property, Apple claims, the person receives an alert on their phone.
"AirTag is designed to discourage unwanted tracking," Apple says on its website. "If someone else’s AirTag finds its way into your stuff, the network will notice it’s traveling with you and send your iPhone an alert. If you still haven't found it after awhile, the AirTag will start playing a sound letting you know it’s there.
"Of course, if you happen to be with a friend who has an AirTag, or on a train with a whole bunch of people with AirTag, don’t worry. These alerts only get triggered when an AirTag is separated from its owner."
The victim, who lives in Leola, told police that he'd been receiving notifications about the AirTag on for about three weeks, according to the criminal complaint.
An East Lampeter Township Police officer helped the victim search his 2015 Ford Explorer, and eventually located the AirTag, which had been stuck to the underside of the trim on the passenger side of the vehicle, the complaint states.
The AirTag's serial number and the last four digits of the owner's phone number were found on the device, and police used that information to trace the AirTag to Sponaugle's Apple ID, address and registration IP address.
The victim said the constant notifications caused him emotional distress, according to police.
Investigators did not say why Sponaugle placed the AirTag on the victim's vehicle.
A preliminary hearing in Sponaugle's case is set for August 20, according to court records.
