LAWRENCE — At $250, the laptop computer purchased on the street appeared to be a good deal.

But when officers showed up at Aileen Acevedo's Brook Street home with a search warrant seeking the computer a few nights later, she learned it was stolen from Lahey Clinic in Burlington, police said.

As with most computers being manufactured now, the Fujitsu Tablet laptop was equipped with tracking software which can pinpoint a stolen computer to any address.

"We've tracked a number of them," police Chief John Romero said. "This isn't the first time."

Dennis Peloquin is a law enforcement liaison for Absolute Software, a Vancouver, B.C. firm that makes LoJack for Laptops and Computrace tracking software. He said the software and recovery service are sold to the purchaser of a new computer at the point of sale.

The computer owner is given information and a number to call if the computer is stolen, he said.

When the owner of a stolen computer calls, the company then checks with police to make sure the reported theft is valid, and then, using the information from the computer, sends it a message that turns on the tracking software, enabling the machine to be located.

Peloquin said LoJack for Laptops is sold to individuals who purchase their own machines, and Computrace software is available for government, corporations and hospitals.

The software in the computer identifies the computer, when it is active online, and where it is located, Romero said.

"It is so precise we can identify the house where it is located, enabling us to seek a search warrant, which is easy to get with this technology," Romero said.

He said police caution citizens that if someone offers them a computer for a fraction of what it costs, unless they know the history of the computer or the person selling it, it is probably stolen.

"You commit a crime by purchasing it," Romero said.

Once Acevedo was able to access the Internet with the machine, the location of the computer was tracked by the Computrace software.

A Burlington police detective told Lawrence police the computer was one of several that had been stolen from the Lahey Clinic in June and with information gathered by the Lojack recovery team, police were able to obtain the search warrant.

When police knocked on her door and told her what they were looking for, Acevedo readily handed them the computer and the power cord, police said. She was arrested and charged with receiving stolen property over $250.

She was immediately released on bail and agreed to talk to police. She could not be reached for comment.

Acevedo told police she had been paying bills at a multi-service business on Lawrence Street and as she left was approached by a man who told her he had a laptop and wanted to sell it for $250.

She told police she called her boyfriend to tell him about the machine and he came to the area and paid the man the $250 for the laptop.

She told police she did not know the man but described him as tall and thin with a medium complexion.

Acevedo said they were unable to access the Internet on the laptop and took it to a Best Buy store in New Hampshire to have it re-programmed.

She told police she only had the computer for a couple of days when they arrived, and had looked up the value of it and found it was listed at $1,400.

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