Habitual porch pirate arrested again in Houston, deputies say

HOUSTON – On Feb. 19, a Precinct 6 Deputy Constable was dispatched to a call regarding a package theft on Commerce Street.

The complainant said he ordered items from Amazon which were delivered to his residence but were stolen from his front yard. The deputy was shown video surveillance provided by the complainant and the suspect can clearly be seen using a stick to retrieve the package from the other side of a metal fence.

Inside the package were two items the homeowner ordered from Amazon worth under $30. The deputy recognized the suspect as 44-year-old Rosemary Gomez, the same woman who took packages weeks earlier.

Deputies said Gomez was caught on camera several weeks earlier, on Jan. 4. They said she was caught stealing a box of 24 china plates worth $910 off a homeowner’s front porch on Nagle Street.

The homeowner on Commerce who reported the initial package theft told deputies that there were several similar cases and videos of the same individual stealing packages in the area that were reported on social media. A deputy spoke with another complainant on a nearby street that also had her packages stolen. He reviewed her video surveillance of the package thief. Deputies were able to confirm that it was the same female suspect in both videos.

“The key thing that helped us in this investigation was the cameras on the porches. That's the big key to this investigation,” Deputy Anthony Macias said.

After further investigation and reviewing Gomez’s criminal history, it was determined that she had been previously convicted of felony theft multiple times. A warrant was obtained Saturday and deputies immediately began their search for Gomez.

While searching for Gomez, deputies saw her walking with a male and made contact with them. Gomez was taken into custody and charged with second-degree felony theft. Her bond was set at $15,000.

“No resistance. We were able to locate her walking down the street. We knew the area she usually hung out in. Myself and other deputies were able to apprehend her that night,” Macias said.


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