LYNNWOOD, Wash. -- Software installed on a Lynnwood man's stolen laptop led police to the thief's hideout and to the computer's recovery.

Michael Pierson left the laptop in his car when he went to a mall in late August. He came a half-hour later to find a broken window and his laptop and other gear missing.

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What the thief didn't know is that Pierson had installed LoJack for Laptops, a program that helps police pinpoint the computer's location and sends along pictures of Web sites the thief is browsing.

The software sends information about the computer's connection -- its IP address -- to investigators, allowing them to track its location with the help of an Internet Service Provider.

In this case, Lynnwood police used the data to track the thieves to an Everett motel over the weekend where they found the laptop and evidence of what they said appeared to be an identity theft operation.