Aurora Man Charged With Theft for Stealing Packages from Porches

A 28-year-old Aurora man is facing two counts of felony theft for swiping packages off porches in Aurora.

Moses V. Williamson, of the 1100 block of South Fourth Street in Aurora, is being held in lieu of $15,000 bail at the Kane County Correctional Center in St. Charles. He was arrested without incident around noon on Monday after officers involved in an undercover operation allegedly saw him take packages off of porches in the 100 block of North Root Street and the first block of South Fourth Street on the Near East Side, according to a news release from Aurora Police Department.

Williamson, who police believe is connected to several similar incidents, surfaced as a suspect when a quick-thinking witness spotted someone committing similar thefts on December 5 on the Near South East Side, according to police.

The witness took a photo of the vehicle being driven by the suspect, which showed the license plate number.

The vehicle being driven by Williamson when he was arrested was the same as in the photos taken by the witness. The investigation into other incidents with which he may be connected is continuing, according to the news release.

Aurora Police have seen a spate of packages being stolen across the city in recent weeks. It is not unusual for these type of crimes to spike during the holidays simply because the supply of delivered packages greatly increases. Aurora Police believe there may be several thieves pulling off similar crimes and plan on conducting additional undercover details through the holiday season in association with the delivery companies and the Postal Service, according to police.

Police recommend taking the opportunity away from thieves by scheduling any package deliveries for times when someone is home to accept them or ask a trusted neighbor to receive the merchandise. Persons can also take advantage of services offered by some delivery companies that include delivery time windows or package delivery notifications via text. Still others accept special instructions including delivery to a back porch.

Police are likewise applauding an increasing number of witnesses who are taking photos of suspicious persons or vehicles that are in the act of criminal activity before they call 911.

They say that, as long as witnesses don’t put themselves in danger when they see crimes being committed, the photos close the gap of response time because frequently, criminals have left the scene by the time police arrive, according to police. The pictures depict real-time proof of a crime being committed and offer valuable evidence from which leads can be quickly established.