This story comes from a deputy sheriff friend who’s still on the job in Georgia. It’s Saturday afternoon and Herman and Martha are watching a football game in Athens. While this couple is enjoying the ball game, Slim and his evil buddy are scouting the parking lot.

They spot a Garmin GPS mounted on the dash of Herman’s Toyota. It’s a simple matter to break into the car. They hot-wire the starter and turn on the GPS.

Checking the Garmin menu, they find "home" listed on the tracking device and simply follow the GPS instructions straight to Herman and Martha’s house 24.7 miles from the stadium.

How’re they going to break into the house? Simple! They just press the garage remote and up goes the door. Nobody ever locks the door between the garage and kitchen, so now Slim and his partner have free access to Herman and Martha’s house and all its contents.

Aren’t they worried that Herman may suddenly return and surprise them? Not one bit. First, they’ve got Herman’s car. Second, they’ve got Herman’s handgun from the glove box so he won’t be able to shoot them. And third, Herman and Martha are at the football game and will be occupied for several hours.

Incidentally, the Georgia game is on the radio so Slim is monitoring the action and will know exactly when the game’s over. The burglars will have plenty of time to clear out before Herman discovers his car’s been stolen.

What could Herman have done to protect himself? Not much now. But in the future, Herman should know not to use the word "home" as a destination in his GPS. It’d be better if he’d chosen a code word for home like "dry cleaners" or even "Trooper Station." That way the thieves wouldn’t know where he lives. Remember this, above all, don’t leave your GPS out in plain view. It’s a thief magnate.