Mayor Krewson falls victim to porch pirate

Mitch McAdams is St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson's next door neighbor. He's been living on the 500 block of Lake Avenue in the Central West End for over a decade.

It was a little before 10:00 p.m. Tuesday night when residents say a suspicious person was out picking packages off of porches.

"I leave packages outside my door and I'm always worried about them," said McAdams.

News 4 has learned Mayor Krewson's home was one of many targeted, even though a doorbell camera monitoring who comes and goes.

"To know that even that technology didn't deter someone, how does that make you feel?" asked News 4's Eric Cox.

"Unsafe," said McAdams,

"It's someone that we know from previous theft incidents just going door to door," said Jim Whyte.

Jim Whyte is Executive Director for the Central West End Neighborhood Security Initiative, an advanced network of over 130 cameras set up throughout the neighborhood.

Whyte told News 4 NSI has surveillance of the suspect riding around on an OFO rental bike.

"We see her pass our cameras with stuff in that front basket quite a few times," said Whyte.

NSI's video of the package thefts is under wraps for now as police investigate.

The incident's inspired others to take precautions.

"I think now I'm going to invest in some cameras and put up a sign that says, 'Smile, you're on camera,'" said McAdams.

Whyte said the suspect is someone they've been tracking since November, who's a known thief, caught on camera stealing nearly half a dozen times now.

He hopes this latest incident will finally land her in jail.