Kamloops porch pirate nabbed within hours thanks to alert neighbour

A Kamloops porch pirate was caught after striking multiple houses in the Dallas neighbourhood.

One resident caught the suspect on a security camera taking an Amazon package just minutes after it was delivered on Friday morning, March 10.

Karla Thompson alerted neighbours through social media only to get multiple messages from others saw the same person in a white Ford F-350. Just how many other residents had items stolen from the truck isn't clear, but Thompson said the truck box had packages and a bag of recyclables in the back when police tracked it down.

"I actually tried to get in touch with delivery driver too," Thompson said. "I was worried about the driver because this person was following them."

READ MORE: More than a dozen wild horses shot and killed near Kamloops

The $40 package was part of a new bed frame for her niece and it was one of a few the woman took from the neighbourhood. It wasn't expensive, but the repeated theft in the neighbourhood might have added up in value, while worrying residents with an unwanted visitor. It was delivered at 10:02 a.m. and stolen just five minutes later as the woman can be seen on security footage drive off in the white truck.

"It wasn't so much what was in the package, it was that somebody went up to my house and took a package from my property," Thompson said, thankful police were able to track it down so quickly.

By 6 p.m., her sister picked it up from the Kamloops RCMP detachment.

Police tracked the truck down at the B.C. Wildlife Park that afternoon, with help from the public. She took packages from the Bostock Place area and other items outside, according to Kamloops RCMP.

The woman was arrested and later released with a court date.

READ MORE: Kelowna killer has conviction quashed, new trial ordered

Thompson believed the truck itself was also stolen, but police didn't answer when asked to confirm.

“With the assistance of community members, officers were able to locate the truck near the Wildlife Park, arrest a suspect, recover and return the stolen packages to their intended recipients,” spokesperson Const. Crystal Evelyn said in a news release.

Police didn't say how many packages were stolen, but did say officers seized "several," along with identification and keys.

The suspect has yet to be charged.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.