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Hams Aid in Capturing Home Invasion Ring

Some hams in Florida got an earful when they heard what turned out to be teenagers planning various robberies over the Jupiter Farms 444.400 MHz CERT repeater. On September 8, Al Moreschi, AG4BV, of Jupiter, and John Levey, KI4HTL, a retired police officer, of Palm Beach Gardens, overheard, according to Moreschi, "what sounded like men talking about committing a burglary and we were monitoring them on one of the local ham repeaters." Moreschi said he and his fellow hams notified local law enforcement agencies of the break-in, but the alleged thieves "didn't describe the house well enough to get the exact address."

The amateurs kept listening for the vandals to show up again on the repeater. On September 21, they were in luck. This time the hams were ready and had set up recording devices to capture the break-in as it transpired. Moreschi said he and his fellow hams recognized the voices and started recording; they also called the police. The last transmission heard over the air by the suspects was, "Code Red, Code Red, Code Red. There are cops everywhere, dude!" Three suspects were captured and arrested: one at the scene, one who was walking down a nearby road and one at a local grocery store.

An official with the local sheriff's office said that the suspects were charged with burglary for the two break-ins; the three are suspects in other local robberies, as well. The tapes made by the hams are in the custody of the sheriff. Moreschi said that these suspects might also be facing charges from the Federal Communications Commission for operating without an amateur license.

"We don't know how these kids got hold of the ham radios. Their transmissions came right over the CERT repeater, and that has a special tone and you have to have a special tone to key it up," Moreschi said.

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