VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Wegmans cashier who admitted to giving an AirTag to a 7-year-old girl while she and her mother were going through checkout will not face any jail time, a judge ruled at the Virginia Beach Courthouse on Thursday.
Connor Land, 20, pleaded guilty to attempted use of an electronic tracking device and admits now that he realizes what he did wrong.
Judge James Lewis called this one of the strangest cases he’s seen in 40 years on the bench.
He ultimately ruled that Land’s actions were a result of his autism, and that while the behavior was creepy, didn’t warrant jail time right now.
Several witnesses took the stand, including the mother of the girl who was given the tracking device.
She described being terrified when this happened, and said the experience has emotionally scarred her family.
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Land testified that he never meant to hurt anyone. He said he just wanted to start relationships with women but lacked the ability to do so due to his autism.
He's currently undergoing treatment for mental health issues.
In July 2023, News 3 first told you about the case after the mother called Virginia Beach Police to report the tracking device mixed in with stickers were given to her daughter as they left the store.
Watch previous coverage: Cashier arrested for placing electronic tracking device on customer leaving Virginia Beach Wegmans
Land said his intentions were to find out where the mom lived so he could send her a letter, calling her a goddess, and offering to do chores for her at her house — things like giving her foot massages, babysitting and cleaning.
He also said he tried to give the letter and money to another woman earlier in the day, but the woman gave it back to him saying she felt uncomfortable.
Land said he was frustrated and tried again with another woman but this time the plan was to use an Apple AirTag tracking device to find her.
Another woman, Jenna Gibson, took the stand and said she got a protective order against Land while there were students at Christopher Newport University months prior to the arrest at the supermarket.
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After Wegmans cashier tracks customer with AirTag, we put the tech to the test
She said he violated the protective order when he called her dad. The judge in that case dismissed it on a technicality.
Both women said they were very disappointed by the judge's decision and felt concerned for others.
“I still feel very uncomfortable,” said Gibson. "There was a lot of new information that came out about the case that made it even more egregious to the crimes he committed, and I wish he would’ve had been held more accountable than he was."
Land’s defense attorney explained how he is getting help for compulsion disorder, sexual issues, and other mental health problems. Judge Lewis wants him to continue to get treatment.
Sending him to jail would only set him back in the progress he has made over the last six months, Judge Lewis added.
In what’s called a deferred finding, Land will go in front of the judge again in 90 days to make sure he is on track and continuing treatment and therapy and staying away from the witnesses in this case.
