City police nabbed a porch pirate opening his treasure shortly after a delivery was lifted from a downtown Barrie residence on Thursday.
Just before 1 p.m., officers received information about a man who had removed a package from the porch of a home located on Wellington Street East, just east of Bayfield Street.
Police said the responding officers were provided a fairly detailed description of the suspect, and a short time later he was located near a business at the southeast corner of the intersection at Bayfield and Wellington where he was opening the package that he had just stolen.
The 46-year-old Barrie man was arrested for theft under $5,000.
The man was transported to police headquarters on Fairview Road where he was processed and later released on an undertaking.
The accused is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Barrie, on Dec. 16.
Police said the rightful owner of the package has been notified and will be reunited with the delivery.
The Barrie Police Service thanked the public for their active participation in this incident yesterday afternoon, and reminded them that “many occurrences involving porch pirates do not often end with the owner receiving their stolen package back.”
Police added that this type of theft can be prevented if a secure delivery box is available or if a nearby neighbour can retrieve any delivered items in the owner’s absence.
