Gwinnett police arrest 'porch pirates' dressed as Amazon drivers
'Porch pirates' dressed as Amazon drivers: police
Two people have been arrested in connection with a string of porch piracy cases in Gwinnett County throughout March.
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Gwinnett County police are asking residents to come forward after arresting two suspected porch pirates who allegedly dressed as delivery drivers to steal packages.
What we know:
Investigators say several reports came in during early March involving a suspect wearing a blue Amazon delivery vest stealing packages in unincorporated Duluth and Norcross. Gwinnett County Police detectives worked with Duluth police to identify possible suspects and follow up on leads.
Authorities charged Lance Vance, 37, of Duluth, with felony porch piracy and possession of tools for the commission of a crime. Poalima Maheloma, 34, of Duluth, is charged with theft by receiving.
Authorities say Maheloma would wait in a nearby car before the pair allegedly brought the stolen items back to a hotel room where they were living. Vance and Maheloma were both arrested at their hotel.
"He [Vance] would just walk by see a package and take it and numerous people had doorbell camera footage of that, and it started getting shared across social media," said Cpl. Ryan Winderweedle.
"There’s no indication that there is any tie to Amazon or that company. He just happens to have a vest that I assume to kind of not make him suspicious," Ryan added.
Detectives executed a search warrant at the hotel room where the two were staying and recovered multiple stolen packages, along with clothing believed to have been used during the thefts. Investigators said some of the packages may belong to victims who never reported the crimes.
What you can do:
Police are asking anyone with doorbell camera footage or who had packages stolen between March 1 and March 26 near Tree Corners Parkway or the area of Satellite Boulevard and Old Norcross Road to contact Gwinnett County Police detectives at 770-513-5300.