Amazon driver became ‘porch pirate,’ deputies say. Then they took over his deliveries
Deputies tracing a bait package stolen Sunday from an Oregon porch got a surprise when they pulled over a black 2015 Nissan Altima, reported The Oregonian.
Inside, they found 18 other packages — and a man who admitted snatching the bait package while making another delivery to the home in his job as an Amazon driver, reported KVAL.
After delivering Perez Johnson, 29, of Portland, Oregon, to jail, deputies delivered the rest of the packages inside his car to their rightful recipients, reported KPTV. Johnson faces theft charges.
Washington County sheriff’s deputies had placed the bait package, containing a GPS tracker, on the porch of a home in Aloha, Oregon, west of Portland, in hopes of nabbing package thieves, who are particularly active in the holiday season, reported The Oregonian.
The bait packages also act as a deterrent to so-called “porch pirates,” deputies say, according to KVAL.
Johnson snatched the bait package about 6:40 p.m. Sunday while making a delivery to the home, leading deputies using a GPS tracker to his car nearby, reported KPTV.
He told deputies he stole the package because Amazon offers drivers $5 for each undelivered package they return, according to KVAL.
Deputies then “personally delivered the remaining packages that had been found inside the suspect’s vehicle to their addresses to avoid any delay in receipt,” according to a statement, reported The Oregonian.
“This behavior is unacceptable and does not reflect the high standards we have for delivery partners,” Amazon said in a statement. “This individual is no longer delivering Amazon packages, and we will work with customers directly to make things right.”
An Amazon spokesperson said Johnson was an independent contractor working with the Amazon Flex program who had cleared a background check and started delivering packages less than a month ago. Amazon is working with police on the investigation.
This story was originally published December 10, 2018 at 2:24 PM with the headline "Amazon driver became ‘porch pirate,’ deputies say. Then they took over his deliveries."