Officer busts 'porch pirate' claiming to be delivery man

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — An off-duty police officer's keen observation helped to catch a suspected package thief and the stolen packages.

Homeowner Michael Malison told Channel 2's Wendy Corona that he hopes his neighbors will come together to protect each other.

Malison said he had his packages stolen from the front door of his Emory Parc community townhome in Decatur.

“We never give it a thought that someone would walk up to your front door step and take it, but it's not an uncommon occurrence as we all know,” Malison said.

His packages were found miles away in neighboring Brookhaven.

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An off-duty police officer spotted a car parked in the middle of Coosawattee Drive with its back door wide open.

“Somebody was running back from a doorstep with a package and the police officer could see inside the car. Could see the backseat was full of packages,” Malison said. "And he asked them, 'What are you doing?' The guy said, 'Oh, I'm an Uber deliverer.' But he wasn't delivering, he was carrying a package. And he looked in the back and he could see all these partially open packages."

Those packages included Malison's Christmas gift to his mother. He said it was only one of a few that were still identifiable.

“A lot of times they'll rip it open immediately and throw the wrapper away,” Malison told Corona.

Investigators identified the driver as Isaiah Gresham, of Marietta.

"He gave a full statement and a full confession as to what he had done and had been doing all afternoon," said Officer Carlos Nino, with the Brookhaven Police Department.

Gresham is now at the DeKalb County Jail on charges of loitering, prowling and driving on a suspended license. Brookhaven police told Corona they expect more charges as more victims come forward.

Malison said the only real protection is looking out for each other.

“If you're not going to be home and you know a neighbor who is going to be home, ask him to watch out for it, pick it up and bring it in their house,” Malison said.

Cases like Malison's are happening all around the metro. In this case, there was a somewhat happy
reunion. However, Malison is still missing one package.

Police say do not hesitate to report anything suspicious, especially this time of the year.

Cox Media Group