With the advent of online shopping and the convenience of it more and more people are shopping online. As a result packages are often left in front of people’s doors, making them easy targets for a new kind of thief, a porch pirate. Porch pirates simply walk up to a person’s front door and plunder their incoming packages hoping to find treasure, just like the pirates of lore.
The problem has become so persistent that Broward Sheriff’s Office Burglary Apprehension Team (B.A.T.) has made it a point to catch them. On Wednesday detectives from B.A.T worked with Fort Lauderdale Police Department to arrest a pair of porch pirates.
Stealing Packages from Residences
On Wednesday January 12th a BSO sergeant observed Javon James, one of the suspects, remove packages from the front of a house in Lauderhill. The items plundered from the porch included a heating pad, a smartphone screen protector, a blender and an extension cord. After the items were taken, detectives witnessed the porch pirates take the goods to a pawn shop where Shenara Lindo, the female suspect of the pair and a resident of Oakland Park, went inside and walked out with a receipt.
Detectives arrested James and Lindo shortly afterwards. Other stolen items were found in their car.
BSO Arrests Pair in Lauderdale Lakes District
Results from the investigation provided BSO’s Lauderdale Lakes District with enough information to arrest the pair for committing a package theft on Monday. Fort Lauderdale Police arrested Lindo Wednesday for a similar theft that occurred in Fort Lauderdale last fall.
As a result of the investigation detectives were able to determine that they that Lindo would drive James around Broward County looking for packages on people’s porches. Once they saw packages they stole them and tried to sell the items at pawn shops. The investigation into the porch pirates’ activities is ongoing.
Both James and Lindo face multiple felony charges for their plundering practices. Since Wednesday both suspects were booked into the Broward County Main Jail.
Ways to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Porch Pirates
James and Lindo are just two suspects in a practice that is becoming more and more prevalent as online shopping becomes a more integral part of our daily lives. We may be temporarily safe from James and Lindo but there are many more porch pirates out there. So take these steps to keep your packages safe.
There are several steps individuals can take to avoid becoming a victim of package thieves. Investigators advise:
- Have your items shipped to your office;
- Try to schedule the delivery for a time that you’ll be at home;
- Use a secure drop-off site provided by the delivery company;
- Ask a neighbor to pick up your packages if you’re not at home.
