Washington County Sheriff's Office Targets Porch Package Thieves with Bait Package Operation

In conjunction with the December holiday shopping season, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office recently began targeting thieves who steal packages delivered to porches across the county. Working closely with the United States Postal Inspection Service, detectives from the Property Crimes Unit, and Patrol Division, deputies coordinated a bait package mission in hopes of catching package thieves in the act.

These decoy packages are equipped with electronic tracking devices that allow deputies to track them after they’ve been stolen. Within the first 24 hours of the bait package delivery, there were two activations.

During the first incident on December 19th, Patrol deputies tracked the bait item and made a traffic stop on a vehicle in the area of NE Wilkins St and NE Briarcreek Way in Hillsboro. Deputies arrested 33-year-old Natashia Gomez for felony Mail Theft and Theft in the second degree.

On December 20th, another bait package in Aloha was activated. The suspect quickly discarded the package, which was recovered shortly thereafter. A suspect was identified with the help of community members who provided video footage. Both cases are still being investigated further.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office works proactively throughout the year to combat the problem of package thefts in our community. Since the bait program began in 2016, numerous bait packages have been placed throughout Washington County to deter potential package thieves.