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A 10-month investigation by the Cincinnati Police Department has resulted in the firing of an officer who used Apple AirTags to track down a woman.
According to the local station Fox19, Cincinnati City Manager Sheryl Long and Police Chief Teresa Theetge have decided to terminate Darryl Tyus’ employment as a DPC officer. Tyus had worked for the department for 15 years when, in April 2022, he planted an AirTag in the victim’s car.
“What Darryl Tyus did in knowingly stalking a woman, making her feel threatened and in fear for her life, is the exact behavior our officers are sworn to prevent,” Theetge said. “For the Cincinnati Police Department, community trust is the foundation of what gives us the power to do our daily jobs.”
“Tyus not only broke that trust, but he also broke the law he was sworn to uphold,” she continued.
The victim is believed to be the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Deputy and had a relationship with Tyus from 2008 to 2022. It is unclear whether they broke up before the harassment or as a result of it.
But in April 2022, the woman said she noticed an “unknown beeping sound” when she used her car. It’s part of Apple’s anti-harassment feature on AirTags, and it led her to find the device “secured to the floor in the front passenger footwell under the carpet.”
Apple’s anti-harassment measures also include how holding an iPhone or Android phone next to the AirTag will reveal its serial number. The victim learned from Apple’s database that the AirTag was registered to Tyus’ phone number.
In addition to stalking the victim for a few weeks, Tyus also allegedly followed her to a friend’s house, where he damaged that friend’s car and motorcycle. Tyus also allegedly made spare keys to the victim’s home without her permission or knowledge.
During the investigation, the victim showed police messages from Tyus which she said she interpreted as a threat that he would harm her professionally if she complained.
“Please speak lightly with your words[…] as if I couldn’t [****] neither will your life,” one message said. “If you want to make threats, that’s cool[…] you really aren’t sure what I’m capable of if you want to put our workplace at risk.”
Tyus was arrested on June 17, 2022 and arraigned in Hamilton County Municipal Court on June 27. He was confined to office duties during the investigation.
This isn’t the first time a police officer on duty has harassed with an AirTag.