Deputies Find 108 Packages After Alleged Porch Pirates’ Car Flips Over

Two alleged thieves were caught with more than 100 packages and pieces of mail after their vehicle rolled over Monday in Butte County, California.

Deputies with the Butte County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call around 2 a.m. about a man who was reportedly taking mail from mailboxes on Lott Road in Durham, according to Fox 6.

“The vehicle was reported to have been last seen turning onto Midway from the Oro-Chico Highway,” the report said.

“Deputies spotted a vehicle matching the description given of the vehicle involved in the mail theft, and as they turned around, the driver, identified by sheriff’s officials as Jeremy Blumlein, 41, of Chico, California, fled.”

Blumlein continued driving north on Mulberry Street, then went east on 16th Street. When officers turned on 16th Street, they realized that Blumlein had lost control, causing the car to flip over.

However, the driver and his passenger, 26-year-old Breanna Maier of Magalia, were not injured in the crash.

Tuesday, the department tweeted photos of the suspects:

Press Release#ButteSheriff pic.twitter.com/SBRDxxCmfG

— Butte County Sheriff (@ButteSheriff) December 24, 2019

The department’s press release stated:

Sgt. Evans searched the vehicle and found several items of mail in the car. Approximately 108 packages and envelopes addressed to approximately 56 people and 37 different addresses from Durham and Chico were found in the car. Sgt. Evans also found methamphetamine and a wallet containing multiple gift/prepaid type cards and hundreds of dollars in cash.

Following the incident, Blumlein was arrested for “felony reckless evading, identity theft, mail theft, violation of probation, and possession of a controlled substance,” the release said, adding that Maier was arrested for “identity theft, mail theft, and violation of probation.”

A recent report by home security company SafeWise found that 30 percent of incidents where packages were stolen by porch pirates have occurred in California, according to KCAL.

“San Francisco topped the list for the city with the most porch pirates with Los Angeles and Sacramento in the top ten. Porch pirates struck nearly 26 million Americans in 2017 alone,” the article concluded.