A Twist In Western Springs Porch Piracy Case: Cops

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – The latest porch piracy suspect in Western Springs is from among the legions of delivery people, police said.

On the morning of Aug. 25, a FedEx employee dropped off a package in the 4100 block of Grove Avenue, the village said. The package contained the blueprints for a kitchen remodeling and a $4,321 check, according to a police report obtained through a public records request.

An hour later, a man delivering a Home Chef meal kit left the package, but stole the earlier one, with three cameras catching him in the act, police said. He was said to be driving a 2020 Lincoln Corsair.

Officials identified him as Corey T. Lee, 35, of Chicago Heights, where Western Springs officers arrested him, police said. He confirmed he had, until recently, worked for an Oak Park company that delivered packages, including Home Chef kits.

He acknowledged that he stole the package in question, initialing screenshots of himself committing the crime, according to the report. Asked what he did with the check, Lee said he ripped it up and threw it away, police said.

Lee was charged with felony theft, police said.