Business owner tracks stolen AirPods to Woods Cross hotel

WOODS CROSS — It takes a lot of courage to start a small business. Justin Petersen and his wife know all about that after starting Simple Yoga Fitness in Woods Cross.

"It is actually a destination yoga place. On this LED screen where we can pick locations all around the world so people can feel like they are in a tropical destination while they're doing yoga," Petersen said. "A year and a half ago, we just wanted to try and do an adventure and started this."

This week, though, he had a big adventure a lot closer to home.

Petersen's business, as well as the Zao Asian Cafe and T-Mobile stores in the same shopping plaza, were broken into on Wednesday.

"Everything on this shelf was stolen," said Petersen while pointing to an empty shelf in the lobby. "Took some jewelry, some other merchandise, some electronics, iPads and stuff."

One of those items was Petersen's AirPods.

So, when he checked his phone to track them, he saw right where they were.

"I pulled my phone out to try and find my devices and sure enough there it was," he said. "I think he had to have taken them out of the case for it to connect to some network that was nearby."

Petersen called Woods Cross police and told them his stolen AirPods were at the nearby Motel 6.

"I took the victim's phone. He allowed me to take it, and I kind of pinpointed an area of the hotel where I thought they might be," Woods Cross Police detective Kimberly Burton said.

That tracking software took Burton right to Room 236.

"It was a game of hot and cold," said Burton. "I got close to a certain door, and it said, they're right here, you're getting close. And as I walked away, it said you're moving farther away."

At some point, the man in that room came out, and police arrested him.

It turns out, he had a lot of items that were reported stolen.

"We found items related to some burglaries out of Bountiful, Centerville, and then there was some stolen items from a case out of Summit County as well," said Burton.

Austin James Nicholas, 31, is in jail for investigation of burglary, theft, and drug offenses.

He was on probation, free on bail while awaiting trial on charges related to other burglaries before this Woods Cross police case.

Petersen is happy his items were found.

He says, as a small business owner, he worked too hard to just let them go.

"To have something like this actually come to fruition is incredible. It is incredible," he said.

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