MELBOURNE, Florida — Three suspects believed to be responsible for stealing delivered packages off of residential doorsteps were arrested by Melbourne Police on Friday.
At 12:41 p.m., the Melbourne Police Department received a call from a resident in the Rio Villa Subdivision who wanted to report a suspicious vehicle in the neighborhood. The caller told dispatchers that he saw a green, older model Chevy SUV stop in front of a home at the 3000 block of Rio Pino North. One of the three occupants of the vehicle then got out, walked up to a neighbor’s front door and picked up a package that had earlier been dropped off by a delivery service. The suspect then ran back to the SUV, with the package in hand, before the trio drove off.
As officers searched that beachside neighborhood for the green vehicle, dispatchers received another call at 1:25 p.m. from a resident in a neighborhood six miles away. This caller stated that a green Chevy SUV stopped in front of a neighbor’s house in the 1900 block of West Shores Road. An occupant then ran up and stole a package from that home’s doorstep before driving out of the area.
Officers now focused their attention to the surrounding neighborhoods, continuing their search for the suspect vehicle. A short time later, a Melbourne Police sergeant spotted a vehicle matching the description given by witnesses driving north on Wickham Road. As the sergeant stopped the vehicle to investigate, he not only learned the license plate on the SUV was reported stolen, he also observed numerous boxed items in the back of the vehicle. Witnesses were brought to the traffic stop scene and they identified 29-year-old Richard Horton, 29-year-old Nicole Marie Heath and 34-year-old Steven Lee Hann, Jr. as the people taking delivered packages from their neighborhoods. All three suspects are from Cocoa, Florida.
The green SUV that was filled with brand new boxed electronics, toys and kitchen items was impounded as evidence and the trio were arrested. Detectives are currently in the process of trying to identify the intended recipients of these items.
Melbourne Police investigators are working closely with other law enforcement agencies because it is believed that this trio may be responsible for additional thefts throughout the county.
Anyone that may have witnessed similar suspicious activity in their neighborhood, has found torn packaging material or envelopes in their trash cans or on the side of the road, or believes they have been victims of similar thefts, is encouraged to call their local law enforcement agency.
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They need to build a big, tall razor-wire fence around Cocoa.
That costs too much. A few kilowatts of electricity will fix the problem, and cost less than a buck.
They need to build a big, tall razor-wire fence around Cocoa.
That costs too much. A few kilowatts of electricity will fix the problem, and cost less than a buck.