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EYEWITNESS LOCAL NEWS
PORCH BANDITSfrom Eyewitness News Online Thieves Targeting Porches In Saint Albans Reported by:  Leslie RubinVideographer: Anthony Lewis Web Producer: Leslie Rubin Reported: Jun. 20, 2012 10:03 PM EDT Updated: Jun. 20, 2012 10:13 PM EDT
Saint Albans
, Kanawha County
, West Virginia
Thieves in Saint Albans aren't even bothering breaking in anymore. They're going straight for what's on your front porch. Even though what's being stolen isn't behind a locked door, the fear the victims feel is no less, as police are working to put a stop to the porch bandit's crime spree. "I don't know why they didn't go on and just take all four of them!" says Mary Mathewson. A lone white rocking chair sits on the porch of her Kanawha Terrace home in Saint Albans. On Tuesday, her porch had a lot more seating room. "If they'd have asked me for them, I'd have given them to them. There's no sense in stealing from me," she says. Mathewson lives alone with her autistic son, Michael. On Wednesday morning, Michael noticed three of their rocking chairs had been stolen. A neighbor said she saw a heavy-set woman driving a red Chevy S-10 truck, walk onto the porch in broad daylight, and make two trips to the truck with the chairs. "The more I thought about it, the more I thought, 'what if my son would have come out?' And at the time she was doing this, what could she have done to him because he wouldn't have known what to do," she says. It's a crime that's taken more than rocking chairs from Mathewson. Her sense of security was also robbed. The day before the chairs were stolen, she spent more than $200 upgrading her home security system, only to have thieves strike outside her door. "These aren't the biggest of crimes, but they are a big nuisance," explains Saint Albans Police Captain James Agee. A nuisance that likely stretches far beyond Mathewson's front porch. "Historically, my experience tells me these aren't the only victims," said Agee. She remains positive despite becoming a victim of a senseless crime, and hopes that those who come to visit won't mind standing. "And when you all came, at least I told you I couldn't offer you all a seat! I could give you a bottle of water, but you'd have to stand to drink it!" she said. Saint Albans Police have asked other departments to be on the lookout for the porch bandits. If you have any information, call your local police. MORE NEWS FROM EYEWITNESS NEWS
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