Summerwood tailgate thief arrested

Summerwood residents have had it.

"There's nothing good about this," resident Jerris Adams said.

Adams heard about the string of tailgate thefts in his neighborhood, which is why he locks his tailgate to his pickup all the time.

"I work for a living, all my life and if that's what they want to do to gain that material stuff, then go get a job, " Adams said.
 
On Sept. 15 Harris County sheriff's deputies said Erik Delfin is responsible for stealing a tailgate in the Summerwood area. It was caught on camera.

Harris County Precinct 3 constable deputies reported two others were stolen that night on Hampton Green Lane as well.
 
Channel 2 spoke with the owner of that truck caught on camera and she reported it to police.

"She happened to go to a website called 'Offer Up,' there she found a tailgate fitting the description of hers," said Sgt. Cedrick Collier with the Harris County Sherrffs Office. 
 
Instead of buying it back herself, deputies were able to track down Delfin and arrest him on Monday.
 
"It was kind of different because there was a 1 1/2-year-old child with him, which we thought was strange," Collier said.
 
Not only that, deputies said he was driving a stolen car with two tailgates in tow, one of them belonging to the homeowner with the video.

"(Delfin) was arrested for auto theft, theft and given a $5,000 bond and $4,000 bond, he's currently out on bond as of (Tuesday)," Collier said.
 
Deputies gave us these tips to defend against tailgate thieves:
Lock your tailgate.
Park your truck with the tailgate against the garage or park another car behind it.
Tie a water hose clamp to one end of the tailgate so it's not easily removable.