Observant Neighbor Foils Package Thieves: Police

An alert neighbor helped police arrest two men Thursday afternoon for stealing packages from front porches in Annapolis.

At 1 p.m. a resident saw two men walk to the front of a home in the 100 block of Woods Drive and take a package that had just been delivered to the home. The watchful resident called the Annapolis Police Department immediately and an officer who was in the area saw one of the men duck into the rear yard of a home in the unit block of Woods Drive.

The officer was flagged down by the resident of the home, who said there were people in his back yard. Both suspects in the package theft were arrested in the rear yard of the victim’s home.

Police learned an additional package was stolen from another home in the 100 block of Woods Drive.

The two packages -- containing an Apple iPhone 5S and a Comcast wireless router -- were found by officers in the area.

The suspects arrested are James Battle, 21, and Dontae Surgeon, 22, both of Annapolis. Both men were charged with three counts of fourth-degree burglary and two counts of theft. They are being held at the Jennifer Road Detention Center on $10,000 bond.