A combination of neighbors looking out for each other and security footage led to the arrest of a 22-year-old man for stealing packages from the front of homes in the Cloverdale/Lake Hazel roads area last week.
Adbikadir I Osman is being held in the Ada County Jail on a felony grand theft charge in connection with the thefts.
Deputies arrested Osman last Friday afternoon (Nov. 25) – hours after two people captured video of him taking packages from their homes and another saw him do the same thing at a neighbor’s house and filmed it on his phone.
Osman is also accused of breaking and taking the emblem off a car in the same neighborhood in the same 24-hour time period.
Deputies, who are familiar with Osman, were able to identify him from the videos and found him in the neighborhood later that day. He was found with the car emblem in his pocket.
Deputies also found several of the items taken from the homes on the ground underneath a tree near where Osman was arrested. They were able to return some of those to the owners.
Deputies charged Osman with felony grand theft because the four thefts were part of the same criminal episode. Abdikadir’s next court appearance is set for Dec. 7. He is currently in the Ada County Jail on a $10,000 bond for the grand theft charge.
It’s the time of year when holiday packages delivered to a doorstep – or even a mailbox – are starting to disappear.
The best way to prevent theft is to remove opportunity for thieves. Most of the time, that means locking your home and vehicles all the time. That’s solid advice, but what to do about packages?
Here’s some tips on how to prevent package theft:
• Track your packages. You can also sign up for text message alerts through UPS and USPS for real time updates on your package’s whereabouts.
• Ask a trusted neighbor to keep an eye out for your deliveries and pick them up for you.
• If you don’t want to ask a neighbor, consider sending your packages to a friend or family member who will be home to pick them up.
• If you’re travelling during the holidays, request the US Postal Service to hold your mail.
* Consider getting a Ring camera or some other kind of home security system. The arrest last Friday illustrates how such video can be very helpful for identifying and catching people who steal packages.
• You know your neighborhood best – if you see something weird, like an unfamiliar car going really slow through your neighborhood or an unknown person studying yards and homes, talk to your neighbors and call the non-emergency dispatch lineat (208) 377-6790.