AirTags Allegedly Lead Deputies To Competitor’s Cache Of 113 Missing Booth’s HVAC Signs

LEXINGTON PARK, Md. — A Lexington Park man is facing a misdemeanor theft charge after the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office alleged he stole multiple advertising signs valued at more than $700, according to court records.

John Edward Quirk, 48, of Lexington Park, the owner of A Better Plumber, was charged in the District Court for St. Mary’s County with theft of property valued between $100 and $1,500. The criminal citation was filed on July 2, 2026, and stems from an alleged offense on June 29.

According to the Uniform Criminal Citation, a deputy of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office alleged that at approximately 3:30 p.m. on June 29, Quirk stole advertising signs belonging to Booth’s HVAC. The citation states the signs had an estimated value of $746.

Wayne Booth, founder and president of Booth’s HVAC, told The BayNet the incident was the culmination of what he described as years of missing advertising signs.

In an effort to identify where the signs were going, Booth said his company recently concealed Apple AirTags inside several advertising signs before placing them throughout the county.

According to Booth, it did not take long before the tracking devices indicated the signs were moving. He said he monitored their location through Apple’s Find My network and contacted the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office. Working with responding deputies, Booth said he directed law enforcement to the location where the tracking devices indicated the signs had been taken.

Booth said deputies recovered the 113 Booth HVAC signs and that Quirk was subsequently issued the criminal citation now pending in St. Mary’s County District Court. Booth also said Quirk operates A Better Plumber, a competing plumbing company.

A District Court trial is scheduled for 9 a.m. Sept. 1, 2026, in St. Mary’s County District Court.

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