02 Feb Data from pacemaker used to arrest man for arson, insurance fraud
Police used pacemaker data to arrest man for arson and fraud.
A man has been charged for arson and fraud after law enforcement used data gleaned from his pacemaker to uncover an alleged plot to cheat his insurance company.
Last week, local media WLWT reported that Ross Compton, from Middletown, Ohio, lost his home last September due to a fire which caused roughly $400,000 in damages.
Suspicions were aroused when Compton’s statements did not seem to match up with how the blaze begun, especially after he told a 911 dispatcher that after spotting the fire, he packed a number of suitcases and threw them out of his bedroom window after breaking the glass with a walking stick.
Compton has medical conditions which include an artificial heart linked to an external pump. According to court documents, a cardiologist said that “it is highly improbable Mr. Compton would have been able to collect, pack and remove the number of items from the house, exit his bedroom window and carry numerous large and heavy items to the front of his residence during the short period of time he has indicated due to his medical conditions.”
After US law enforcement caught wind of this peculiar element to the story, police were able to secure a search warrant and collect the pacemaker’s electronic records to scrutinize his heart rate, the demand on the pacemaker and heart rhythms prior to and at the time of the incident.
Read more from: Zdnet.com
