A woman who police said is responsible for going into mailboxes and swiping packages off residents' porches has been identified and arraigned.

Michelle Lee Marquez, 34, was arraigned Dec. 23 in 27th District Court and charged with seven counts of mail fraud.

Wyandotte Deputy Police Chief Archie Hamilton said her identification shows a Texas address, but that she has local ties.

We believe she was residing somewhere in Wyandotte, Hamilton said.

If convicted on all charges, she could face up to seven years in prison.

According to police, at about 2 a.m. Dec. 20, a sleeping resident in the 2000 of 23rd Street in Wyandotte was alerted by his Ring Doorbell system that someone was on his front porch.

Police said the man got up and discovered a woman on his property rifling through his mailbox.

He immediately contacted police and within minutes, officers located Marquez prowling the streets.

According to a report, police found she was in possession of several pieces of stolen mail along with numerous stolen credit cards.

In addition to that, police said, Marquez was in possession of tools commonly used for committing burglaries.

Police believe Marquez also is responsible for the highly publicized custom memory blanket that was found ripped from its packaging.

The blanket was a Christmas gift a Wyandotte resident ordered for her friend.

While other items found had names and/or addresses associated with it, police had no way of locating the blanket's owner.

After posting a picture of the blanket on its Facebook page, police found the owner and was able to return the blanket right in time for Christmas.

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Woman suspected of going through Wyandotte mail boxes, taking packages off porches arraigned - Southgate News Herald

KIAH (CW39) The pandemic has changed the way many of us shop. More and more Americans are turning to online shopping and home deliveries than ever before. A new survey conducted by CR Research found out that 43% of Americans have had a package stolen in 2020 which is up from 36% from 2019.

Take a look what researchers found and also see how you can prevent packages from getting stolen right off your front porch.

C R Researched surveyed 2,000 consumers who have shopped online at least once within the last 12 months to learn more about their experiences with package theft and what preventative measures theyve taken to deter porch pirates.

Heres what they found:59% of Americans receive package deliveries at least once per week (Up from 49% in 2019).43% of Americans have had a package stolen in 2020 (Up from 36% in 2019 and 31% in 2018).Almost two-thirds (64%) say theyve been a victim of package theft more than once.The average value of the stolen packagewas $136, but thankfully 81% say theyve receiveda refund on the stolen items.

The top ways consumers prevented package theft this holiday season:

1. Stayed home for delivery

2. Opted for in-store pick up

3. Installed a doorbell camera

4. Shopped in stores

5. Requested a signature for delivery.

Take a look at the fullreport.

Originally posted here:
Porch pirates on the rise - CW39 Houston

OREGON -- Porch piracy is a concern for many people who get packages delivered year round, and around the holidays the chance of a package being stolen from your front porch is even more likely.

Safety.com reports an expected 27% increase in stolen packages this holiday season.

Derek Wing, the communications manager for PEMCO Insurace says, There was a recent survey that was done that showed nearly 4 in 10 people say that they've had a package stolen off their porch at least once so I think it's definitely a problem that is happening, it's probably going to continue to happen.

PEMCO Insurance advises remote shoppers to ask for an out-of-sight delivery option.

It also offers a list of other tips to keep your shipments safe from pirates.

Though many people install cameras at their front door, Safety.com found few people actually report porch theft to sellers and police. A recent survey finds Americans will have, on average, $224 in merchandise sitting on their porch in plain sight around the holidays.

PEMCO Insurance says having items sent to P.O. boxes is a good idea and package insurance are wise options to mitigate losses this year.

Wing says, You definitely want to let the police know because they might be able to help solve the crimebut contact the people from whom you ordered or the shipping company.

Excerpt from:
Porch Piracy around the holidays - KDRV

They drive behind UPS and Fedex trucks driving the streets of Fresno. Once packages are delivered, theyre almost immediately nabbed by so called porch pirates.

Its such an issue in Fresno, City Council Member Mike Karbassi campaigned on it. Hes got his hands a little tied up due to staffing constraints in the Police Department.

But now theres a way every resident in Fresno (and beyond) can fight back.

Chad Pickens started an Anti Porch Pirate Coalition last year because he was fed up with packages being stolen in his northeast Fresno neighborhood near Shields and Cedar.

This isnt an organized group, you know, its just kind of like, well, what can I do to help my neighborhood?, Pickens tellsGV Wire by phone. He posted messages on forums like Nextdoor and the Ring Camera network and referred to himself as us and we.

Nobody knew it was just one person, says Pickens.

This isnt an organized group, you know, its just kind of like, well, what can I do to help my neighborhood?Chad Pickens, Spearheaded theAnti Porch Pirate Coalition

The coalition grew from just himself. People reached out to him through word of mouth and through private messaging. Now, he says at least 20 to 30 of his neighbors have joined him.

Hes now taking it a step further by creating a Facebook page thats not restricted to where you live, or whether you are on a doorbell camera network. The page just went live on Wednesday.

The purpose of the group is to encourage vigilance by having at least one person visible outside, maybe on their front porch, keeping an eye on things.

Its just presence, explains Pickens. If they (porch pirates) feel somebody is just out walking their neighborhood, whether its just around the block or not, or even just walking to stand in front of their front yard, raking leaves or watering their lawn, it deters them.

He says from his experience the thieves dont care about the Ring cameras, but they do care about actually being seen by an actual person. I have yet to find somebody bold enough to steal a package in front of me, says Pickens.

Pickens recalls a recent incident when one of his neighbors posted a porch theft video that had happened just minutes before.

He saw the video, and almost immediately spotted someone that matched the appearance of the culprit. Ifound somebody on a bike that stole a package from somebodys doorstep that was three blocks away, says Pickens.

He called police who caught up with the thief and returned the package to the porch it was taken from.

Recently, hes noticed more and more people are working from home due to the pandemic and picking up their packages within minutes of delivery.

Pickens also believes his group has made a big difference in not only stopping porch thieves, but also just bringing the community together to work towards common goals.

Fresno Police Lt. Tim Tietjen works with officers on patrol in northwest Fresno. Were not seeing anything out of the ordinary in terms of porch thefts, says Tietjen.

He says he doesnt have precise numbers because the department is currently transitioning to a new computer system, but he says porch thefts are not trending up.

Although its always a concern this time of year, hes seeing more neighbors coming together to help one another out. They do that all the time, said Tietjen.

He does say that anyone who witnesses a theft in progress shouldnt hesitate to call 9-1-1 so officers can respond right away.

Watching out for neighbors helps.Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi

Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi says there are certain things people can do to help fend off porch thieves.

Watching out for neighbors helps, says Karbassi.He says he recently bought a doorbell camera from Costco for himself. He also says good lighting is a great deterrent.

Karbassi believes its important for neighbors to help each other because Fresno police officers are already under a lot of stress due to a recent gang crackdown, and adverse impacts to their workforce due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Were also losing officers to retirement and we cant recruit.So what do people want us to do? asks Karbassi rhetorically. We need to support enough law enforcement to keep the city safe.

To that end, Karbassi is working with police leaders and the Fresno Police Officers Association to find ways to attract more officers.

The fact that we cant recruit officers into the academy is very alarming, said Karbassi. I want to increase the signing bonuses if they live in the city of Fresno. He plans to work with his fellow city council members in either January or February to increase onboarding bonuses from $5,000 to $10,000 dollars.

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Fresno Area Porch Pirates Get Your Packages Within Minutes, Now You Have a Way To Fight Back - gvwire.com

Gary Cartwright, the runt of Blackie Sherrods literary progeny at the old Fort Worth Press, left the toy department at an early age but never outgrew it. Everything important he learned, he learned at the Press. Which is probably why a few of his most notable magazine pieces, from the legacies of Jack Ruby and a Dallas stripper to the death of a Texas Ranger, were collected under the title, Confessions of a Washed-Up Sportswriter.

With apologies to the late press boxer, who took a pretty dim view of the yahoos who came after him, consider the confessions of a shut-in sportswriter:

A fountain gurgles in a nearby bed of ferns under the canopy of a Japanese maple. A cocky blue jay primps in the basin. Across the alley, the breeze rippling the leaves in a three-story cottonwood sighs like a wave dying on a beach.

And then theres the sound a screen door makes after you let it go: one bark, then two...

I wrote that in late May well into a pandemic that shut down sports for months and let them up grudgingly to provide a glimpse of my world view from the screen porch in the age of the coronavirus.

From my North Dallas home, its a little more than a half-hour to JerryWorld and Globe Life Field, and American Airlines Center is just 15 minutes down the tollway. But for the better part of my six-month exile from press boxes, all three might as well have been around the world.

On the screen porch, I wrote in March that responding to this global crisis would be more difficult than what we were asked to do after 9/11, when we were told that wed be fighting terrorism simply by going about our normal routines. I called Planos Natalie Chou, the UCLA basketball star, to discuss her concerns about the targeting of Asian Americans during the pandemic.

I wrote about the prospects of little ol Colonial breaking the sports drought, the effects of the 1918 flu at Texas A&M, and the impact of protests popping up everywhere. In one column, I speculated what might be the point of no return for some sports this year; in another, I worried we might be rushing back too soon.

In August, I wrote about the Mavs in the playoff bubble from my wicker seat out back. This was new. Part of the job requirement has been to provide a sense of place. Unless readers wanted to know how my new sunshine ligustrums were coming along as Luka Doncic lifted the Mavs on his shoulders, they were out of luck.

Communicating with athletes and coaches has been futile. Zoom calls are a poor substitute for real eye contact.

Worse yet, in the wake of Mike McCarthys wacky first year: Jerry Jones doesnt Zoom.

Even when I occasionally got out of the house, nothing was the same. The Argyle PA announcer tried diligently to keep fans six feet apart. But, as I wrote, playing a high school football game in a pandemic was like putting on a rock concert in a hospital ward.

The perspective from high atop Globe Life Field was different, and not because of the roof or air conditioning. What unnerved me even more than the creepy DoppelRangers lined up like sentries was the fake crowd noise. Go figure. It seemed symbolic of our predicament. I felt like a pawn in a ruse.

For the first time in my life, the games Ive loved felt like they were forced, like we were trying a little too hard to distract everyone from a bigger truth. Reminded me of a 12-year-old boy and the Sunday afternoon after his fathers first heart attack. Neighbors took the kid and his younger brother to a park for a game of baseball as a diversion. Its what good neighbors do, and they had the best of intentions. But nothing, not even baseball, would blot out the image of the ambulance taking my father away from me.

Even now, with vaccines on the way, its difficult to reconcile the conceit of games against a backdrop of more than 300,000 U.S. deaths and cases rising by the hour. But on we forge, nonetheless. Players and coaches test positive. Games are postponed or canceled. But the business of sports cannot, must not, will not stop.

Because of conflicting emotions bubbling up as we tried to act like all is normal, it was probably inevitable that it would make some of us more reflective. Maybe as a result, causes and protests that once might have received cursory attention took center stage. Especially with athletes. This wasnt exactly different, but it was certainly more pronounced. Athletes changed lanes; the media veered, too.

We didnt just write about the protests by pro athletes, either. In July, I streamed a Tyler school board meeting where board members voted unanimously to change the names of the high schools in an effort to right an old wrong.

Giving voice to these protests made a lot of you uncomfortable. Even angry. Some readers thought I occasionally took it too far. One old civil rights warrior said I didnt go far enough.

Finding a way to bridge what divides us was impossible. These are unprecedented times, and in meeting these challenges, weve often failed to heed the better angels of our nature. As I wrote in the wake of athlete boycotts in August, the pandemic wrung out most of our patience and social upheaval squeezed out what was left.

Fortunately, the screen porch proved to be a zen kind of place this year. I could sit out back and let my thoughts drift. I miss it. Too cold now. Probably just as well. Let me tell you something, I risked my sportswriter card writing about blue jays and birdbaths. Gary Cartwright would have hated it. Then again, he never had a season like this one.

+++

Find more Sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

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Writing from the porch: Kevin Sherrington's tranquil perch to capture a bizarre year in sports - The Dallas Morning News

Analysts believe Americans bought a record number of holiday gifts online this year because of the coronavirus crisis. That's given criminals more opportunities to play the Grinch and steal those deliveries. Now neighbors are teaming together to stop them.

Last year, the security company Safewise estimated about two million packages were swiped from homes every day. That was before the pandemic, which led to an increase in online shopping.

A driver delivering a package is a common sight during the holidays. Unfortunately, another sight is also common someone following the delivery truck, with the goal of swiping a package.

It happened to Rob Trigg. A woman who was trailing behind a delivery truck, went onto Triggs porch, stealing a package. "It's devastating, I will tell you that, especially when you come home and you're expecting those packages to be there," Trigg says.

Lucky for Trigg, his next-door neighbor was watching from the window and called police. Authorities caught up with her and found a number of packages inside her car. "We have such great neighbors. We all take care of each other," he says.

Neighbors are taking care of each other nationwide. In Northern California, Isaac Fischer started a Porch Pirate Patrol. "Since a lot of us are working from home, including me, this is something we can do for our neighbors," Fischer says.

Fischer asked neighbors to step outside when they see a delivery truck. "If people see people coming out on their porch, that could be a deterrent," he says.

It worked in New Jersey, too, where Jennie Schafer saw a man reach down and pick up a package from her neighbors' porch. "And I thought, uh uh! Not on our street! So, I immediately went out the front door and onto my porch and started yelling at him," Schafer says. He eventually left empty-handed.

In Texas, a man was able to steal items from several homes, but quick-thinking neighbors contacted police and shared their security footage, which led to an arrest.

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Neighbors Work Together To Stop Porch Pirates - News On 6

FARGO In the season of porch pirates, we often hear about people putting dog poop or glitter bombs in decoy boxes to get revenge. But what is legal to when deterring these thieves?

Around the country, vigilante mail recipients are taking matters in their own hands and posting about it online. There is the common practice of putting dog poop in a decoy box, using glitter bombs, and even going as far as rigging shotgun blanks to scare off patio patrons.

"You put blanks in there and it blows someone's hand off potentially, we might not be talking defense of property," explained Luke Heck, a criminal defense attorney with Vogel Law Firm in Fargo.

While North Dakotans and Minnesotans do have the right to defend their property with force, Heck believes putting blanks and explosives in boxes will invite litigation. If your the decoy is less hardcore, then you are probably not breaking the law.

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"They didn't have the lawful authority to take the package, whether it was a dummy package or an actual package in the first place," Heck said. "So there's a pretty weak argument to where there could be criminal charges for a glitter bomb type situation."

"Open up a box and it takes someone's eye out with glitter, you could be opened up to other types of liability and different areas of the law there too," Heck added.

So what should you do to fend off porch pirates?

Law enforcement officials recommend tracking your package, require a signature or request in-store pickup, be home during delivery or ask a neighbor to bring packages inside.

Call the police if you become a porch pirate victim.

"First and foremost, call the police if something is being stolen from you," Heck urged. "Engaging in self help oftentimes causes more problems than it solves."

A Fargo police spokesperson says their officers are not seeing an increase in package thefts this year.

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Local lawyers warn against the act of revenge against porch pirates - INFORUM

Police in Bloomfield are seeking three men they say stole packages off residents' porches this month.

According to BloomfieldPublic Safety Director Sam DeMaio, the following incidents occurred earlier this month:

The first was on Dec. 2, on the 100 block of North 17th Street.The suspect was captured stealing a package containing $60 sneakers from his front porch on the resident's ring doorbell.

that same day, officers responded to Myrtle Street, where a resident said packages containing aNike Jacket, Vapor max shoes, Nike pants and a Nike Jacket valued at $740 were stolen.

On Dec. 3, Floyd Avenue residents reported two package thefts between 4 and 4:30 p.m. Their Ring doorbells captured the below suspect stealing their packages from the front steps. Both packages were worth approximately $50 dollars. First, was a childs clay toy mold and second was a pair of slippers.

On Dec. 4, anAmpere Parkway resident reported a package theft around 2 p.m., in which a man on a blue bicycle took a $170 package from the front porch.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Bloomfield Department of Public Safety.

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RECOGNIZE THEM? Rash Of Porch Thefts Under Investigation In Bloomfield - Rutherford Daily Voice

Around the world, folks have begun to scramble in order to obtain that perfect gift for the special people in their lives. Although much more of that shopping will be done online this year, it still continues. Toys and dolls, electronics and new tech, kitchen gadgetry, and (my favorite) delectable edibles will all be neatly wrapped and exchanged in only a couple of weeks. And despite the vast array of possible gifts, there remains one item, something we all need, which is rarely gifted. That item is shoes.

So why dont we present those on our Christmas list with a new pair of kicks every now and then? Too expensive? No, even shoes are on Black Friday sales. Too difficult to find? Though there may be a toilet paper shortage, Ive heard no such similar news about sneakers or pumps. No, the reason we dont often gift shoes is because shoes are so very unique to the individual wearing them. Im not necessarily speaking about style, though we do have variant opinions on what makes a good-looking shoe. More importantly, Im referring to the fit. Even if I knew my wifes shoe size (I admittedly dont), I wouldnt dare begin to pick a pair to gift her, because inevitably, they just wouldnt fit right. Only one person knows if a pair of shoes feel right and that is the person wearing them. Im reminded of the old adage, Try walking a mile in my shoes.

How often do we remind ourselves of that maxim and evaluate anothers situation before making a decision or judgment? Too infrequently, I fear. When we take the opportunity to examine the unique experiences of those around us though, and relate them to our own, we can begin to develop empathy which is what the saying is truly all about. We should all make that our goal.

In the end though, we can never truly know what someone else is going through; we can never walk that mile in someone elses shoes. And its a good thing, for I reckon our feet would really begin to hurt by the end of some of those walks.

But despite the fact we cant walk that mile and we dont know what shoes are comfortable to others, much the same way we dont know what those people are going through in their lives, I expect a Size 12 worth of understanding and a shoestrings length of compassion might go a long way in making those miles easier to traverse.

Many blessings of Christmas to you and yours this season.

P.S. I stand corrected Perhaps a few of you realized that I incorrectly referenced Thanksgiving as falling on the last Thursday of November in my last column. Thanksgiving falls, in fact, on the fourth Thursday of each November, which is sometimes, but not always, the last Thursday of the month. A thousand apologies to those who may, as a result of my misinformation, now celebrate Thanksgiving 2023 on November 30th, rather than the 23rd.

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PORCH SWING POINT OF VIEW: Empathy and Shoes - Record Delta

Pride flag Photo Credit: Kevin Goebel/flickr.

An Ohio family claims someone stole an LGBTQ Pride flag that they had hung from their front porch and burned it.

The Fitzpatric family of Wyoming, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati, claims the unknown person came onto the porch to steal the flag and apparently tripped over their Christmas lights. Then the thief burned the flag at the corner of Beech Avenue and Worthington Avenue.

Its a real sense of violation to have somebody come onto your property, Michele Fitzpatric, the mother, told local Cincinnati affiliate FOX19. Its an act of violence; its a threat.

The Fitzpatrics said they put up the flag in June after they discussed the meaning behind the flag, and because their daughter, Maggie, said she was disturbed by the bullying of gay or transgender kids in school.

I think [people] dont necessarily realize the hurt that they are causing for those that are part of that community, Maggie Fitzpatric said.

She said several friends reached out after the flag burning.

They were speechless, Maggie said. They never thought that this type of thing would have happened, especially in Wyoming, adding that she previously believed Wyoming was a very accepting community.

The family told FOX19 theyve ordered a new, bigger flag to replace the burned one, and said that several of their neighbors have ordered similar flags as a show of support.

Bill Fitzpatric, the father of the family, posted on his Facebook page that he and his wife had initially struggled with how to address the incident.

See also:Michigan couple believes their home was vandalized over Trans Pride flag

While the financial impact of this crime is low, the emotional impact is high. We fly that flag to show support for groups of people that are marginalized and victimized just for having the courage to honor their true selves and to pursue loving, fulfilling relationships, he wrote. That someone carries enough hate in their heart to walk up to a house blazing with Christmas lights to steal and burn a gay/trans pride flag shows why we as a community need to be even more vocal in our support.

My flag, just like a gay or trans person living their authentic lives, is not harming anyone and is not offensive to anyone who is not a bigot, Fitzpatric wrote, adding he hopes the incident sparks a larger discussion about the type of community in which we want to live and raise our kids.

Clearly bigotry starts at home, he wrote. Kids arent born hateful; they are taught by their parents, and it can either be reinforced or mitigated by their teachers and peers. If youre not a bigot, please talk to your kids explicitly about hate of all kinds. Dont assume they know how to be against hate, not just passive in the face of it. Give them the tools and support to actively stand up against hate. Your kids are the peers of kids being taught hate at home and can help a good kid born to bad parents be a better person.

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Conservatives are fuming over Ritzs pro-LGBTQ ad

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Ohio family claims someone stole their Pride flag and burned it - Metro Weekly