Police: Theft Suspect Took 'Selfies' On Victim's Cell Phone

Johns Creek investigators have taken out arrest warrants for the man accused of stealing a resident’s cell phone — and using that device to take photos of himself.

Police have charged Willie Ray Shirley with misdemeanor theft by receiving and invasion of computer privacy, which is a felony, said Johns Creek police spokesperson Captain Chris Byers.

On or around Oct. 9, the victim said when she returned home from eating at Bonefish Grill on Jones Bridge Road she noticed she did not have her cell phone on her person, Byers said. On Oct. 12, the woman saw photos of a man she did not recognize appear on her Google Drive account.

“She doesn’t know the guy at all,” Byers added.

The woman’s setting on her cell phone automatically synced photos and videos recorded on the device to the cloud, which allows users to access those documents from various devices. She sent those photos to police.

A few weeks later, Byers said the woman was at Starbucks on Mansell Road in Roswell when she “looks up and by a freak chance,” she sees the man whose photos appeared on her account sitting in the same venue as her.

The woman and her boyfriend confronted the suspect, later identified as Shirley, who allegedly admitted to having the phone. The suspect told the couple he would go outside to retrieve the phone. However, the suspect took off running.

Byers said the woman flagged down a Roswell police officer, who made contact with the suspect, but eventually let him go. Johns Creek investigators reached out to Roswell police to get the suspect’s name. Additionally, they were able to use the photos to identify Shirley by his Myspace account.

That information allowed them to take out arrest warrants for Shirley, who Byers said is possibly homeless or bounces around from place to place.

Anyone with information on Shirley’s whereabout is asked to call Johns Creek police at 678-474-1600.

Photo: selfies of Willie Ray Shirley. Credit: Johns Creek Police Department