‘Porch pirate’ suspect attends court in same outfit worn during crime, SC cops say

A South Carolina man’s limited wardrobe landed him in jail this week, after police say he came to court dressed in the same outfit seen in surveillance photos from a theft scene, according to the Goose Creek Police Department.

Those photos were widely shared Tuesday on social media, the day before his court appearance, police noted in a Facebook post that has gotten hundreds of reactions.

“Sometimes, people actually do make our job easy,” the department posted.

“This guy decided to come into our courtroom the day after the first post was made, and lucky for us he was even wearing the same shirt. We are happy to say he is in custody.”

The suspect, who was not identified, was arrested in connection with the theft of packages from homes in The Oaks Estates area of Goose Creek, about 20 miles northwest of Charleston, police said. It was not clear if the court appearance was in connection with the package thefts or was coincidental.

Investigators shared side-by-side surveillance photos from The Oaks and the courtroom, both showing a man wearing the same green tee-shirt with a red “The North Face” logo, and dark pants. The ensemble included a mask during his court visit.

The surveillance photo, taken Nov. 10, was first shared by an Oaks Estates Facebook group, which accused the man in the photo of taking Amazon deliveries off porches and hiding the ripped packages in trash bins.

“He is riding around on a bicycle and putting stolen things in his backpack. Not sure if anyone else had anything stolen. The police have been notified,” the Facebook post said.

This story was originally published November 13, 2020 at 1:35 PM with the headline "‘Porch pirate’ suspect attends court in same outfit worn during crime, SC cops say."