According to THV11, Arkansas lawmakers have made porch pirating or the act of stealing packages from someone’s front porch or property a felony. That crime used to be a misdemeanor, now it’s a Class D felony in Arkansas that could lead up to 6 years in prison. The new law was passed in this year’s Arkansas legislative session. The lead sponsor was Representative Lee Johnson.
“You know, with the pandemic we saw that it wasn’t just birthday presents, but also groceries and medical supplies,” said Rep. Johnson.
According to THV11, Porch pirating has become popular especially around the holidays, but there are things that are helping catch the criminals, like video camera doorbells. In relation to capturing these fugitives, Conway City Attorney, Charles Finkenbinder said, “Save any video that there might be and if you know your neighbors across the street they may have video, which provides a different perspective.”
Finkenbinder was also mentioned asking Arkansan’s who may be a victim of this crime to file a police report no matter how large or small the package.
