Docs: Indy armed robbery suspect returned victim’s ID with handwritten note, was tracked by Apple AirTag in victim’s wallet

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indy armed robbery suspect reportedly used a dating app to meet his victim before stealing a wallet and $25 through CashApp at gunpoint. Police said they arrested the man after he returned the victim’s ID and kept the wallet – which was equipped with an Apple AirTag.

Jeremy Agaro, 20, was arrested this week for felony armed robbery after IMPD tracked his movements working at a local Burger King and living at a west side apartment. Dezman Dukes, 23, was also arrested on gun and drug charges in connection to the case.

The arrests stem from an armed robbery in the early morning of Aug. 7 near an apartment complex on Indy’s northwest side. IMPD crews were called around 1:50 a.m. by a victim who had been robbed at gunpoint after meeting up with a man from a gay dating app.

The robbery

The victim told police he’d met the suspect on the app “Jack’d” two weeks prior and had been texting them since. The day before, the victim said the suspect was acting strange and asked to meet up at an apartment complex in the 5000 block of Renn Lane to hook up.

Upon arrival, the victim said he met up with a skinny Black male in his 30s wearing a gray Nike tracksuit. The victim told police the man did not look like the photos on the Jack’d account and immediately hopped into the victim’s car and said to drive around to the back of the building.

The victim said he turned to see the man pointing a gray pistol with an extended magazine at him. The suspect reportedly demanded the victim’s wallet but became upset when there was no cash inside.

The suspect then allegedly made the victim take out his phone and send him money over Cash App. However, the app reportedly gave an error message and the victim said he “just wanted to leave.”

“The suspect became frustrated and began yelling,” court docs show. “The suspect told [the victim] that he was going to kill him and that he needed to ‘shut up and stop being a b***h’.”

The suspect reportedly took the victim’s phone, tried Cash App again and successfully transferred $25 to his account. Police said the suspect took the victim’s iPhone and wallet before hopping out of the car and running away on foot.

The investigation

The victim told police that the wallet the suspect took was uniquely equipped with an Apple AirTag – a device meant to track and GPS locate lost items.

Police reportedly tracked the wallet to an apartment in the 7200 block of River Walk Drive – specifically inside of a red Jeep Renegade. The victim said the wallet had also stayed at a Burger King in the 6300 block of Crawfordsville Road for extended periods of time since the robbery.

Four days after the robbery on Aug. 11, the victim called IMPD and said that his Indiana state ID had been returned to him by the suspect. He said he’d been contacted by his next-door neighbor, who had reportedly found the ID inside an envelope left in his mailbox.

The neighbor reportedly had video footage of a Black man and a woman driving up in a red Jeep Renegade and dropping the envelope in the mailbox. The envelope had a handwritten note that read:

“Hello, found this id on the ground outside I saw you got robbed the address was 5736 Renn lane if im not mistaken. Call police if needed but returning it for you. Your welcome. Read Back 4 Details [victim] ID.”

Officers reportedly again tracked the victim’s wallet to the Burger King and surveilled the restaurant. Inside, they found a man working behind the counter who looked identical to the man who’d returned the ID. The victim told detectives it was the same man who’d robbed him.

Police were able to identify the man working at Burger King – who was later seen driving a red Jeep Renegade – as 20-year-old Jeremy Agaro. Criminal records showed Agaro had been charged in June with driving without a license in Avon. The car listed was a red Jeep Renegade.

The arrests

IMPD then applied for a search warrant at the River Walk Drive apartment where the wallet had been seen. Crews were getting ready to execute the warrant on Aug. 13 when they saw Agaro and another man get into the Jeep and drive away.

Officers then conducted a “high-risk vehicle” stop on the Jeep just east of Crawfordsville Road and Girl School Road. The driver was identified as Agaro and the passenger was identified as 23-year-old Dezman (Desmond) Dukes. Both were taken into custody while the car was searched.

Inside the Jeep, police reportedly found a bag of marijuana and a gray Pavona handgun under the passenger’s seat where Dukes was sitting. Court records show Dukes has a prior robbery conviction out of Lake County.

Dukes is prohibited from owning a gun after his prior conviction, causing officers to arrest him for marijuana and illegal firearm possession. While searching him, officers found the victim’s iPhone in Dukes’ pocket.

While searching Agaro, officers reportedly found the victim’s AirTag-equipped wallet in his front right pocket. The wallet had multiple banking and ID cards related to the victim, police said.

During an interview with police, Agaro reportedly denied being involved in a robbery and said he was at home smoking weed the night it occurred. He said his niece had come home that night with the victim’s ID and asked him to help her return it.

“Agaro stated three times that he wrote the note on the envelope and then changed his story and said that [his niece] had wrote it,” court docs show. “Agaro admitted that he [frequented the apartments where the robbery occurred] and would regularly go there.”

Given the information gathered by IMPD, Agaro was arrested for armed robbery – a level 3 felony. He was later booked into the Marion County CJC along with Dukes, his co-defendant.

More info

Online court records show Agaro made an initial appearance in court on Friday. His jury trial is scheduled to begin on Oct. 28. Dukes has the same scheduling.

“We just encourage people to be careful. Be careful who you meet and be mindful of your surroundings,” said IMPD Sgt. Anthony Patterson.

For their part, IMPD said the robbery illustrates why they urge caution when meeting strangers.

“Be mindful of your surroundings. Don’t put yourself in a dangerous situation. It’s not wise to do,” said Patterson.

Police also encourage everyone to meet strangers only in safe public places.

“Do your research on where to meet. We recommend a nice public forum where a lot of people are around,” said Patterson.

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