Dumb Luck, Technology Thwart Thieves In Stafford: Police

STAFFORD, VA—Ever had, say, a bicycle stolen? Or maybe a package from your front porch? Figured you likely would never see it again? Well, sometimes technology teams up with dumb luck for a delightfully unexpected outcome, such as the following missive from the Stafford County Sheriff's Office.

Shortly after 1:30 p.m. Monday, March 18, police responded to a report of a stolen package from a home on Nugent Drive. Upon arrival, the officer was given security camera footage that showed a man run up to the porch, grab the package and take off on a bicycle.

The officer recognized the man as a suspect in a bicycle theft on March 14 at Rodney Thompson Middle School. Seems a citizen had taken a photo of the thief with the bike on Walpole Street shortly after it was stolen. The officer had information that the man lived in the area of Brannigan Drive, so he began patrolling that area in search of the suspect.

Meanwhile, another officer was investigating a separate incident in the same area regarding a cell phone theft on Jan. 22. He saw the suspect, Tahari Turk, 19, of Stafford, playing basketball in the driveway of a home on Brannigan Drive. The officer confronted Turk, saw the stolen bike in the driveway and arrested Turk. It's unclear, though, how the bike wound up in the driveway—although that's the street on which Smith was photgraphed riding it.

Police then received a call regarding a suspicious person on Bruce Street going from house to house and looking into windows. An officer spotted the man on Walpole Street and confronted him. He was identified as Michael Smith, 29, of Stafford, and he admitted stealing several packages that day—including the one from Nugent Drive.

Smith said he discarded the package behind a dumpster at Pizza Hut after realizing it just contained dog supplements. Smith also admitted to stealing the bike, and police later found the package behind the dumpster.

Smith wound up being charged with three felony counts of petit larceny. Turk was charged with conspiracy to commit a felony regarding the cell phone theft.