Crime

Police find theft suspect who flipped off camera

Brazen thief took package, left message via doorbell cam

Adding insult to injury, a brazen thief recently took a package from the porch of a home on North Morton Boulevard, east of downtown Modesto, and then flipped off a peephole camera as he left. By
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Adding insult to injury, a brazen thief recently took a package from the porch of a home on North Morton Boulevard, east of downtown Modesto, and then flipped off a peephole camera as he left. By

A man who gave the middle finger to a front-door peephole camera as he was stealing a package from a front porch has been found, the Modesto Police Department posted on its Facebook page Tuesday evening.

Officers located Casey Harden, 39, on Tuesday, department spokeswoman Sharon Bear said. “We filed a DA complaint and he was cited for a misdemeanor warrant,” she wrote in an email.

He was not found because of a tip, though the Police Department did post the video Nov. 15 that shows him flipping off the camera and walking away with a package. The Bee also shared the video. The theft occurred on North Morton Boulevard.

Police recommend planning your package deliveries for when someone is home, sending them to your workplace, requiring a signature for delivery or asking a neighbor who is home to pick up your packages.

The Postal Service offers these tips to protect your mail from thieves:

  • Use the letter slots inside your post office for your mail, or hand it to a letter carrier.
  • Pick up your mail promptly after delivery. Don’t leave it in your mailbox overnight.
  • If you’re expecting checks, credit cards or other negotiable items, ask a trusted friend or neighbor to pick up your mail.
  • If you don’t receive a check or other valuable mail you’re expecting, contact the issuing agency immediately.
  • If you change your address, immediately notify your post office and anyone with whom you do business via the mail.
  • Don’t send cash in the mail.
  • Tell your post office when you’ll be out of town so it can hold your mail until you return.
  • Report all suspected mail theft to a postal inspector.
  • Consult with your local postmaster for the most up-to-date regulations on mailboxes, including the availability of locked centralized or curbside mailboxes.
  • If you see a mail thief at work, or if you believe your mail was stolen, call police immediately, then call postal inspectors at 877-876-2455 (press 3).
  • Learn more at https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov.
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