On the morning of October 2, 2012, the owner of a 2005 Caterpillar 303CR mini excavator arrived on a job site in the 8300 block of 10th Place SE in Lake Stevens, and discovered the excavator was missing. The equipment was last seen at 6:00 p.m. the previous evening. The company immediately contacted the Lake

After the owners reported their vehicle stolen to law enforcement, the vehicle information was entered into the state and nationwide stolen vehicle system (SVS/NCIC) computer. This routine police action automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the vehicle, prompting it to begin emitting a silent homing signal. Neither the owners nor law enforcement had to