2 'Porch Pirates' Charged With Odenton, Gambrills Package Thefts: Police

ODENTON, MD — Even as police warn residents not to have presents delivered to your home if nobody is there, two Lanham teenagers were caught by Anne Arundel County Police after allegedly helping themselves to packages from homes on Odenton and Gambrills.

Police received a call from a resident Tuesday afternoon reporting that two male suspects were stealing packages from the front step of a residence in the 1000 block of Spring Hill Way in Odenton. The caller said the "porch pirates" had fled in a red Dodge Charger, which police in a helicopter located on Waugh Chapel Road headed toward Route 3.

When officers stopped the car on southbound Route 3 at Evergreen Road, they saw a postal package on a passenger's lap and several packages inside the Charger. The packages were addressed to five different locations in the Odenton and Gambrills area.

The two suspects — two teenagers from Lanham — were arrested on charges of theft over $1,000, three counts of theft under $1,000, and one count of theft under $100. The pair charged are a 17-year-old boy and Timothy Joseph Brunson Jr., 19, of the 9000 block of Third Street of Lanham.

All the packages were returned to their owners. The total value of the stolen packages was $3,117, police said.

The residents were victims of a move dubbed by police as "front porch shopping," when criminals prowl around neighborhoods during the holiday season waiting to pounce. Observant thieves will follow delivery trucks and steal recently delivered packages from porches and stoops, officials warn.

Police and security experts have shared some reminders on how to thwart thieves and ensure you receive your packages:

• If possible, have your package delivered to a location where it can be received by a trusted person.
• Request that the shipper holds the package at their facility for pickup.
• Track deliveries online and confirm delivery has occurred.
• Insure valuable items.
• Provide delivery instructions so packages are left out of sight from the street.
• Watch out for vehicles following delivery vans through neighborhoods. Some thieves will simply shadow deliver drivers and go from house to house stealing newly delivered packages.
• When sending packages, take them to a post office or other shipping facility rather than leaving them outside your home for pickup. Let the person you are sending the package to know to expect the package.
• Show off your home security system; make sure you have a sign in the front yard. If you have security cameras, make sure potential thieves know they're there, and if you have a doorbell camera, use it.
• Sign up for email notifications from FedEx, UPS and businesses like Amazon and Urban Outfitters to track your package from initial shipment to its arrival at your home or the recipient's address if you have the gift delivered directly.

»Photo of Timothy Brunson Jr., courtesy of Anne Arundel County Police