MENTOR, Ohio — A porch pirate allegedly responsible for taking multiple packages from residences in Lake County was arrested last week.
On Dec. 10, a Mentor resident received a RING doorbell notification alerting him of a delivery. The video showed what he thought was a delivery person walking away from the front door, but when he went to grab his package a minute later, it was gone.
The resident contacted Mentor dispatch who sent police to the home, and with the help of a nearby Aqua Ohio worker, officers located the car in the parking lot of a nearby pharmacy.
A 45-year-old woman from Willoughby was found in possession of several unopened packages addressed to different homes. The driver eventually admitted to the thefts, police said.
Other property listed as stolen in the police report included a cornhole board set, bath towels and wireless chargers.
All the packages were later returned to their owners. The driver was arrested and charged with theft and receiving stolen property.
Mentor police said there will be undercover officers using surveillance equipment, unmarked vehicles and bait boxes containing GPS tracking units to stop porch theft crimes in the coming weeks.
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