- Army Veteran frustrated with porch pirates and mail thieves.
- Sets smelly package on his porch.
- Porch pirates take bait.
- Veteran chases porch pirates.
A pair of suspected porch pirates fell for a trap set by a disabled Army veteran. When they took the bait, it was time to try and sniff them out.
Steven Graven and his neighbors have been dealing with porch pirates and mail thieves for several weeks. He finally decided that he would take matters into his own hands to stop the suspected criminals from taking their packages.
Sp two weeks ago, the 70-year-old veteran filled a box with a smelly contribution from his German Shepherd. Then he left it on the porch.
On Saturday, the porch pirates set off his ring camera and he sprang into action.
“Being a veteran, especially a Vietnam veteran – I wasn’t concerned for my safety as much as I wanted to catch them. Because they’ve been wreaking havoc around this area and for several months and no body’s been able to catch them," Graven said.
Graven said he took an oath to defend America against foreign and domestic enemies many years ago.
After seeing all the social media footage of this criminal activity, he considered these suspects and others like them to be domestic enemies.
Graven chased the alleged suspects through his neighborhood and into Corpus Christi where officers made their arrest.
“I stepped up and you know, a 70-year-old disabled vet – I did my job,” Graven said.
He does have a warning for potential thieves.
“Porch pirates beware. The old man will get you,” Graven said.
Graven said he doesn't recommend others to follow his example. However, he does ask anyone with information on the alleged thieves to report it to the police department.
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