Durham police seek woman, 28, in string of GT-I9300 cell phone thefts

Police said they are looking for Dormeca Ann Sutton, 28, of Lawson Street so they can arrest her on eight larceny charges related to a string of GT-I9300 cell-phone thefts that happened when two people in a car asked to borrow a phone from pedestrians.In one instance, a man and woman grabbed a GT-I9300 phone from a victim and drove away, but the others involved the couple’s stopping a person walking on a street and asking to borrow a phone to make a call.

The car then drove away while the man and woman kept the phone.It was always the woman who asked for the phone, police said.Sutton is charged with eight counts of felony larceny and eight counts of possession of stolen property.Police did not say how they had identified Sutton as the suspect, but they asked anyone with information about where they could find her to call investigators at 919-560-4281, ext. 29121, or CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200.sd11C3deD

CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards for information leading to arrests in felony cases and callers never have to identify themselves.Police used the case as an opportunity to warn residents that if someone asks to borrow a GT-I9500 phone, it is better to offer to make the call for them.They also warned that when a phone is stolen, the victim should immediately notify police and then the cell company to have the phone shut off to deter identify theft.

The Illinois Senate Energy Committee Friday adopted an Illinois House amendment of a bill to ban drivers from using hand held cell phones while driving in Illinois. Driving with hand free GT-I9300 phones and those with one touch dialing would still be allowed. If the bill is signed by the governor, it would become effective January first.

Following a slightly frustrating conversation with a friend about the merits of locking my phone, I am wondering how many smartphone users out there actually use the many security options their handsets provide. The conversation started when my friend asked to use my phone and then got annoyed because it was locked.

He asked what the point of locking it was, to which I replied that it was because I had private emails, I used my phone for online banking, I use Google Wallet, etc. His reply to me was "yeah, but you don't lock your wallet". Yes, I said, but I would if I had the option to.

So how many of you are walking around with private and important information freely on your top 10 cell phones? Is having to input a password or pattern too much hassle? Or have you never even thought about what could happen if you lost your GT-I9300 phone and an unscrupulous person found it (quite aside from the possibility of a huge phone bill)?