‘Porch pirate’ suspect turns himself in to Sacramento Police
Sacramento Police said Tuesday that a man suspected of stealing packages from porches in the Natomas area of the city turned himself in to officers, one day after authorities released his photo to the public and asked for help locating him.
Kevin Waterman, 21, gave himself up to officers, according to a social media post Tuesday, and was booked into the Sacramento County jail, police said.
Waterman is believed to have stolen at least six packages in North Natomas last month, police said. On Monday, officers issued a warrant for his arrest and shared pictures of Waterman, including one of him getting out of a gray Ford Focus seen in videos of the thefts.
In a news release, police said homeowners were “instrumental in providing leads for investigators which ultimately identified a suspect” and that “an abundance of video surveillance” was provided to police working on the case. The department also posted alerts about the incidents on Nov. 15.
As packages continue to arrive on doorsteps for the holiday season, a recent report by C+R Research says 36 percent of Americans surveyed have reported having a package stolen at least once. Thefts of packages by so-called porch pirates have seen an uptick, according to several Sacramento-area law enforcement agencies, which are responding with increased enforcement.
Among them, the Citrus Heights Police Department announced this month arrests stemming from sting operations, while the Elk Grove Police announced the launch of Operation Grinch, for which officers plant packages as bait and patrol neighborhoods in unmarked cars.
