Apprehended: Dickinson Porch Pirates

KFYR-TV is reporting that two people have been arrested and for the string of package robberies that were taking place in Dickinson. According to the report, Denae Tormaschy and Mathew Lenoir were taken into custody before the Dickinson police "went to a residence and found a large amount of stolen property." And the most recent news is that the pair actually involved children in the scheme. Get the full story from KFYR-TV here.

I have been fortunate enough to have never been a victim of porch pirates or other thievery (thank goodness for honest neighbors). But multiple people in my life have had packages and such stolen from them. Let me tell you, the culprits may not realize it, but theft does impact the victims more than one may know.

Years ago, my fiancé lived in a house where the neighbor was known to take packages off doorsteps. Luckily, he hadn't been a victim. Until one evening, my fiancé came home from work, expecting to see a package of his medication at his front door. Unfortunately, even though he was notified about the delivery, he never found the package.

Then, my fiancé and I were living in Colorado with my best friend, and she fell victim to a package thief. This time, it happened in the mailroom. It was Christmas time, and my roommate was hoping for a package from home. She never got the package.

Finally, a couple of Christmases ago, a good friend of mine and her fiancé had just gone Christmas shopping. Their car was full and they had one last stop at the grocery store. They forgot to hit the "lock" for their car doors, and in the five minutes it took to purchase a drink, someone stole everything out of the back of my friend's vehicle.

My fiancé literally needs medication just to exist. My friend in Colorado was missing her family, and was expecting sentimental gifts from her family back home. My other friend and her fiancé were devastated that they lost their daughter's presents - they couldn't afford new ones.

A thief may never know how they hurt their victims. The moral of the story takes us all the way back to a motto from the pre-preschool years: "If it's not yours, don't touch it."