TAMPA, Fla. – The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man who stole several packages from an apartment complex in Tampa.
Between September 24 and November 23, 2020, Master Williamson, 19, used his resident key card 34 times to scan into the package room at the Halo 46 Apartments located at 14500 N 46th Street.
Surveillance video shows Williamson searching for packages each time he enters, gathering multiple boxes and leaving with them.
After obtaining consent to search Williamson’s apartment, detectives located several packages addressed to other residents. Additional packages were found inside his vehicle. Williamson was arrested and charged with one count of scheme to defraud and eleven counts of petit theft. Detectives are in the process of contacting the victims and returning the stolen packages.
Surveillance video of the theft can be found below.
“This suspect had no regard for his fellow residents when he used the apartment package room as his personal shopping mall,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “I’m thankful that we caught him before he had an opportunity to ruin the holidays for countless neighbors by stealing their online orders.”
Today, December 3, is National Package Protection Day. From now through December 21, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is running Operation Pinch-A-Grinch. County residents can have their online purchases shipped to HCSO’s District 3 Office, located at 7202 Gunn Highway in Tampa, or District 5 Office, located at 10128 Windhorst Road in Tampa. Deputies will accept and secure items until residents are able to pick them up. To learn more, visit www.teamhcso.com/PinchAGrinch Sheriff Chad Chronister is sharing tips with residents on how to better protect their packages around the holidays. The PSA, shared on our HCSO social media accounts, can also be found below.