Alleged porch pirates arrested minutes after stealing from Sarasota home

SARASOTA, Fla. (FOX 13) - Porch pirates in a Sarasota neighborhood quickly found out that they picked the wrong house to mess with Sunday night. 

After a woman and man were caught on security cameras stealing packages off a family's front porch, the homeowner decided he would take action. 

"My wife got an alert, a motion alert from our doorbell, our video door bell that someone had come up, had taken a package that we had both forgotten about that was delivered earlier that day," Thomas Penafiel told FOX 13.

But these thieves weren't going to get off that easy. Despite being woken up from a dead sleep, Penafiel didn't waste any time. 

"I reviewed the video, the security footage really quickly, and saw that they were on foot and they headed a specific direction," he recalled. "I figured I might be able to run into them if I jumped in the truck."

Sure enough, just a couple blocks down the road, the Sarasota man ran right into the thief and her accomplice. 

"When I got close to them, I decided I had a pregnant wife at home, I have kids, so I decided I would not approach just in case they had a weapon," he said. 

Penafiel called 911. Minutes later, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office was on scene, and the suspects were in handcuffs. 

The homeowner described their attempt as brazen and bold. He said he even has a sign posted in his front yard, warning visitors they are being recorded. While that didn't stop the thief from committing her crime, the stolen box wasn't exactly the big payout she was probably hoping for. 

"The box was a set of Mickey Mouse curtains and Mickey Mouse decals for the new nursery that we are getting set up for the incoming baby," Penafiel said. 

At this time, he isn't pressing charges. 

He decided against legal action as the items were recovered from where they were dumped, adding that he hopes the thief will think twice before doing this again. 

"There was some remorse, she was shedding some tears," he said. "I think one part that may help her learn her lesson is she got in cuffs, detained, right in front of her mom's house."

However, Penafiel does have a message for any other potential porch pirates. 

"You're going to get caught," he warned. "It's not worth doing it. It's not worth going to jail over $30 Mickey Mouse curtains."