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Stolen Package Victim Recognizes 'Porch Pirate' In CBS4 Report

By Kelly Werthmann

DENVER (CBS4) - Home surveillance video may link two recent porch thefts on opposite ends of Denver.

A pair of thieves were caught on camera stealing packages from a home near the University of Denver on Monday and one of the suspects looks a lot like a man seen taking items from the front porch of another home in Stapleton just a few days earlier.

"I just had this feeling of that guy looks really familiar," homeowner John Roesink told CBS4's Kelly Werthmann after seeing her coverage of the thefts near DU. "The clothes were very similar, black shoes, grey pants, black shirt, and then some kind of sandy blonde hair."

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(credit: CBS)
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(credit: CBS)

Roesink had two packages taken from his home last Thursday afternoon. His home security system alerted him of the movement on his front steps while he was at work.

"My wife was actually pulling into the garage at the exact moment that the guy was on the porch taking the packages," Roesink said. "And the school bus had just let off so the kids were coming home from school."

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Since his items were taken, which included a painting he recently purchased from a charity auction and some home décor from Pier 1 Imports, Roesink is working on installing more security cameras on his house.

"I'll add the doorbell one for faces and then probably try to position one where you can see the curb so you can see the car," he said.

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Just like the other homeowners who had their items taken Monday afternoon, Roesink is helping police try to find the thieves by using bait packages equipped with a tracking device.

"They delivered a decoy package to put out, so I guess we're going to work with them to figure out times and how to target it to be most effective," Roesink said.

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Homeowner John Roesink is interviewed by CBS4's Kelly Werthmann (credit: CBS)

Denver police are investigating both porch thefts, but cannot say for certain if the crimes are related or if the same suspect is to blame. Investigators are asking for the public's help identifying the men seen in the surveillance videos.

Additional Information From The Denver Police Department

Remain anonymous and earn up to $2,000. Call Crime Stoppers at (720) 913-STOP (7867). Text to CRIMES (274637) then title DMCS and enter the message, or send an e-mail to metro-denvercrimestoppers.com; or use the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers mobile app which is immediately available as a free download on smartphones.

Kelly Werthmann joined the CBS4 team in 2012 as the morning reporter, covering national stories like the Aurora Theater Shooting and devastating Colorado wildfires. She now reports for CBS4 News at 10 and is always open to story ideas. Connect with her on Facebook or Twitter @KellyCBS4.

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