Search for man who stole package off porch in Walton County continues

WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Investigators at the Walton County Sheriff’s Office are searching more a man who stole a package off of a porch, and they want other residents to know how to avoid having the same thing happen to them.

Deputies said the man took the package from a home off of Breakers Street in the Watersound Origins area. The incident was caught on the victim’s Ring doorbell camera.

They said “porch pirating” is a random occurrence but tends to happen more often during the holidays when people have more packages delivered.

By utilizing camera video, deputies said they are often successful in solving crimes like this, and said they are confident they will find this perpetrator as well.

”We do have cameras, there are a lot of cameras everywhere,” WCSO Patrol Sergeant William Curtis said. “The sheriff’s office has access, obviously, to our camera systems. And the public does help, they will share their footage with us in most cases to help identify a subject. We’ve been pretty good at being able to narrow down who people are, and kind of lock them into a statement once we find them and try to say ‘hey, we know you were here. Here’s the camera footage to prove it.’”

Curtis also said it is important to look out for and protect one another from these types of crimes.

”Know your neighbors, know if your neighbor across the street has a package delivered and it’s been sitting out there for a little bit, go pick it up, maybe leave a note on the door, say ‘hey, your package was delivered, I have it across the street or next door.’ Just so you’re not having your stuff stay out there overnight,” he said.

Other ways you can protect yourself from having your items stolen:

• Sign up for tracking alerts for all of your delivery orders
• Request to have your packages signature-required
• Install a camera system
• Get packages delivered inside your home or garage
• Ask the post office to hold your packages

If you recognize the person in the video or have any other information about the incident, please contact the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.

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