News

Actions

Man suspected in package theft in Syracuse arrested on outstanding warrants

Posted at 6:12 PM, Dec 24, 2015
and last updated 2015-12-24 22:44:11-05

UPDATE: Syracuse police have arrested 36-year-old Chad Rodabaugh on outstanding warrants related to forgery, and while he has not yet been charged in connection with the package theft, police believe he is the culprit.

Previous story continues below:

SYRACUSE, Utah – Syracuse Police are keying in on surveillance video showing a man stealing packages off a porch in broad daylight. We tend to hear about this type of crime around the holidays, but people are taking high-tech precautions to avoid becoming a victim.

Homeowners in Syracuse handed over surveillance video to police in hopes of catching a Grinch.

The video shows the guy grabbing packages off the porch Wednesday afternoon, loading them into a car and taking off.

Thanks to the video, police have a pretty good description: A white male, wearing jeans, a T-shirt, a gray jacket and a black Indianapolis Colts hat. He drove off in a dark-colored, 4-door passenger car with no license plate. While it’s busy season for thieves, some police agencies are seeing a drop in these types of crimes.

From November through December of 2014, Unified Police received 49 reports of stolen packages. In 2015, that number has been cut in half to 24.

Police point to more homeowners going high-tech and installing surveillance cameras.

“Surveillance cameras are only getting better, it's easier to identify people,” said Detective Ken Hansen with the Unified Police Department. “They're not the blurry black and white photos they used to be. Now they're HD and they're in color.”

Surveillance cameras you install outside your home could also come in handy for your neighbors.

“They pick up other homes too, and so you may not see surveillance on that home but there might be a home across the street that has a surveillance system that catches it,” said Detective Hansen.

Hansen says people are more aware of these thefts and are taking precautions. Aside from the high-tech solutions, they simply avoid having any packages on the porch at all, by having them mailed to their work or P.O. Box--or they ask neighbors to keep an eye out.

“It's really made a difference,” said Detective Hansen.

Another attractive target for thieves is cars left warming up in a driveway with no driver in sight. Salt Lake Police tell FOX 13 that, on average, one out of every four cars stolen are left unlocked and running.