Yesterday morning, a Mentor resident received a RING doorbell notification alerting him of a USPS delivery. He saw what he thought was a delivery person walking away from his front door but when he went to get his package a minute later, it was nowhere to be found.
A blue Mitsubishi Mirage, however, was making its way down the street with haste.
That’s when he contacted Mentor dispatch. Officers responded to the scene, and with the assistance of a nearby Aqua Ohio worker, were able to quickly locate the car in the parking lot of a nearby CVS pharmacy.
When officers approached the vehicle, they found a 45-year old female from Willoughby in possession of several unopened packages addressed to three different homes. The driver eventually admitted to the thefts. The owners of the other packages were notified, their property was returned to them, and the thief was booked on charges of theft and receiving stolen property.
Front porch thefts are a crime of opportunity. Undercover officers will be operating throughout city neighborhoods utilizing a variety of tools including unmarked vehicles, surveillance equipment, and the use of bait boxes that contain GPS tracking units but also rely on assistance of residents. Learn more about what you can do to protect yourself from Porch Pirates.