Selfies lead police to wanted felon after multi-state search

A 41-year-old man has been arrested after police were finally able to track him down after a search through three states.

On Jan. 18, officials were notified that 41-year-old Joseph Giroux has a national extraditable felony warrant for theft out of Sarasota, Florida. The fugitive unit and bail bondsman out of Sarasota contacted local detectives and told them that Giroux could be living in Pelham, New Hampshire.

Detectives were familiar with him and began tracking him down. After interviewing several southern New Hampshire locals, they learned he had temporarily been staying in Pelham and allegedly committed theft in Northwood. The victim of the Northwood crime told authorities he paid Giroux to complete a job, but he never started it, yet he cashed the check at a bank in Manchester.

Police say the victim gave police his phone number so detectives began texting him posing as a woman interested in him. They stayed in contact for weeks and Giroux eventually sent multiple selfies of himself and provided personal information, which led police to a search warrant to track his cell phone location.

But Giroux shut off his phone for a few days and when he turned it back on, he was pinged in Punta Gorda, Florida. Detectives sent that information to authorities in Florida, but he again fell off the map. A few days later, his phone pinged him in Paducah, Kentucky.

Authorities in Kentucky began surveillance and finally were able to take Giroux into custody.

He is being held in Kentucky pending extradition back to Florida.

New Hampshire officials say while Giroux was in town, he told many victims that he was the owner of a company called "Joseph Giroux First Choice Flooring and More, Inc."

If anyone fell victim to his scam, you should call Pelham Police.

Cox Media Group