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Homeowner Teaches Thief A Valuable Lesson — One Involving Dog Poop (Video)

By Toni Matthews
Published on: 03:10 PST, Dec 15, 2015

A homeowner found a creative solution to the package theft problem in his neighborhood. KTNV reports that Eric Burdo of Las Vegas, Nevada, had a run-in with a thief when he first moved into his home. It was an incident that inspired Eric to install two cameras outside his house — one above the door and another, higher camera above the garage.

However, Burdo needed to test his cameras. The thief problem in the area gave him an idea.

The homeowner placed a package on his doorstep. It was a simple U.S. Postal Service box, one which wouldn’t seem too suspicious or out of the ordinary to a sticky-fingered thief. On Thursday afternoon, someone took the bait. In a video that has since gone viral, you can see the thief make a dash for the inconspicuous box.

He’s only on-screen a few seconds, but you can almost make out that the thief is a pre-teen or young teen. The other camera showed that in addition to the thief, an accomplice also dashes by the property.

The two young teens may have felt accomplished by their speedy act of theft, however, that victory was a short-lived, and very smelly one. You see, homeowner Eric Burdo decided to fill that box with dog poop before sealing it up and leaving it as thief-bait. You read that right: dog poop.

“One day I kind of just thought about cleaning up the poop and putting it in a box and that’s what I did.”

The homeowner said he felt gratified rather than angry when the thief took the “present” he prepared. The incident not only proved that his video surveillance was working appropriately, but he hoped the thief and his friend would be inspired to give up their sticky-fingered ways.

Said Burdo, “Hopefully they don’t do it again and they learn their lesson.”

Between opening a box filled with dog poop, being broadcast all over local TV, and being the laughing-stock stars of a viral video, it’s possible these young thieves may opt to live more honest lives.

Believe it or not, this actually isn’t the first time a homeowner has gotten back at a thief by using dog poop. A year ago, the New York Daily News reported that D.C.-native Andrea Hutzler had become fed-up with thieves stealing packages from her porch. The homeowner decided to get even by leaving a fake box filled with dog poop in front of her door.

Hutzler told WJLA, “I worked hard, saved my money, bought something and then it was just gone.”

As was the case in Las Vegas, it involved the kind of thief more likely to strike around the holidays, knowing it’s the time of year that expensive gifts are shipped to homes. One of the best ways to avoid this scenario is to request all your packages require a signature upon delivery. This means that your package can’t be left haphazardly on your doorstep. You can also write special directions, such as requesting that your box(es) be left with a trusted neighbor if you aren’t home.

One final suggestion? Take the extra few bucks and have packages insured. That way, if anything does happen, you aren’t left in a bad situation with few to zero options.

As for Eric Burdo, he wasn’t upset and doesn’t plan to involve the police. The homeowner pointed out that nothing of value was stolen and that the entire thing was a set-up in the end. Despite his kindness, it’s up to the thief and his friend to decide if they’ve learned their lesson. Although unwrapping dog poop is unpleasant, there are worse consequences for persistent criminal behavior.

[Image via KTNV screen grab]

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