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Police: Porch pirate stole $3,700 worth of chemotherapy medicine from Fayetteville cancer patient

Stealing a package from a porch is a felony crime in Arkansas.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Fayetteville Police Department is reminding residents to be mindful about packages on front porches after $3,700 worth of chemotherapy medication was stolen from a home and has not been returned.

“That kind of shocks you,” Sgt. Tony Murphy with the Fayetteville Police Department. “It makes you want to dig into the case and put that person behind bars.”

Police say a suspect under the semblance of a food delivery driver stole the package. Details about the suspect, their arrest, and where the crime occurred were not immediately released.

The homeowner was able to capture the crime on a Nest doorbell camera.

“Probably the most important evidence to catch the person,” said Sgt. Murphy.

The Fayetteville Police Department encourages residents to install similar devices, when possible, to help catch porch pirates in the city. The department also asks porch pirates to mind their own business.

“Don’t be messing with people’s mail,” Sgt. Murphy said. “Don’t mess with people’s boxes. Don’t mess with people in general. Just mind your business and leave people alone. You won’t go to jail.”

Porch piracy isn’t anything new. However, we are seeing a rise during the pandemic, with more people shopping online.

“These porch pirates, a lot of the time have no idea what they're stealing,” said District 75 State Representative Lee Johnson. “They’re just randomly driving up and taking packages”

Porch pirating is a felony in Arkansas, which could lead to up to six years in prison.

“It’s theft whether it’s a $5 theft or a $1,000 theft,” Rep. Johnson said. He filled the bill to make it a felony in Arkansas.

Stealing a package from a home is now a felony crime in Arkansas. 

We want to remind everyone that porch piracy is now a FELONY in the state of Arkansas. Even if the item stolen costs $5, it is still a felony. (Arkansas Code 5-36-103 Theft of a Postal Package). Unfortunately in the video shown, the item stolen was not worth $5. It was about $3,700 worth of Chemotherapy medication stolen from a front porch under the guise of delivering food. This suspect has been identified and arrested. Please remember to be vigilant with your package deliveries. Having a video system like this one always helps. If you ever see anything suspicious, call us: (479)587-3555.

Posted by Fayetteville Arkansas Police Department on Thursday, February 10, 2022

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