Diligent Gamer Outsmarts Xbox 360 Thief
Watch any reality cop shows, and the undeniable truth is that in general, thieves aren't too bright. In this case, the thief was outsmarted by the former owner of a stolen Xbox 360 console, who used a little tech knowledge, as well as some diligence.
Ryan Ketsenburg, a sophomore construction management major at Missouri State had just returned from a field trip, and was so exhausted he apparently left his dorm room door unlocked. Someone snuck in that night and snagged Ketsenburg's console.
But they left his wireless controller. He was able to get it to connect to the console, which meant it was nearby. After that it was just a matter of legwork, as Ketsenburg used the controller to close in on the culprit.
The controller, which has a 30-foot range, connected to the Xbox on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors of the dorm, but not on the third and seventh floors. Logically, it had to be one on the fifth floor.
He eventually narrowed the search down to an exact room, and then called the fifth floor R.A. The console was found, and since the controller was able to turn it on, was confirmed to be Ketsenburg's.
But despite finding the console, he's out a lot: the hard drive had been reformatted, erasing his game data. And that, not the theft, is why he is going to prosecute.
"I'm going to try to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law, because I had to follow all the rules, so let's make sure it gets done right," Ketsenburg said.
Ryan Ketsenburg, a sophomore construction management major at Missouri State had just returned from a field trip, and was so exhausted he apparently left his dorm room door unlocked. Someone snuck in that night and snagged Ketsenburg's console.
But they left his wireless controller. He was able to get it to connect to the console, which meant it was nearby. After that it was just a matter of legwork, as Ketsenburg used the controller to close in on the culprit.
The controller, which has a 30-foot range, connected to the Xbox on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors of the dorm, but not on the third and seventh floors. Logically, it had to be one on the fifth floor.
He eventually narrowed the search down to an exact room, and then called the fifth floor R.A. The console was found, and since the controller was able to turn it on, was confirmed to be Ketsenburg's.
But despite finding the console, he's out a lot: the hard drive had been reformatted, erasing his game data. And that, not the theft, is why he is going to prosecute.
"I'm going to try to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law, because I had to follow all the rules, so let's make sure it gets done right," Ketsenburg said.
