>what matters is can you be charged with a crime if you remove a piece of surveillance equipment from your own property if so it sets a very bad precedent

Did you read the article? She wasn't charged. There is no indication she was charged or will be charged. There is just a claim by a third party that the police "demanded" the return of the device, and some armchair lawyering (citing out-of-state case law) that's intended to imply police overreach where none exists.