LEXINGTON, N.C. -- Your eyes are not playing tricks on you - this headline is real!
A thief was caught on camera stealing pillows off a front porch in Lexington, but the story doesn't stop there. Police say she also stole nearly a thousand dollars worth of power tools and lawn furniture.
"It's almost a sickening feeling," says Jack Deyton, who lives at the house. "We feel violated."
Jack and his wife Joanna knew something was off Tuesday morning when they noticed their porch pillows were gone. They checked the surveillance footage from their porch and saw a woman walk up the steps, swipe the cushions and walk them a truck in the driveway. She later appears to walk toward the backyard.
"After the violation, after that sits in, the anger sets in," explains Jack. "We want to catch this person."
Later Tuesday, he called Lexington Police. He showed them the footage from his Arlo surveillance camera. The camera is motion-activated and captures any movement on the porch. Within about a minute, Jack can get that video on his phone. He was able to show Lexington Police the pillow thief within hours of the theft. Ultimately, he says investigators were able to identify the vehicle in the footage and put out an alert for the truck.
"They jumped right on it," Jack says. "They said here's what we're going to do. They sent the description out to not only city police, but to the county, the deputies there."
Wednesday morning, an officer spotted the car on patrol in a hotel parking lot in Lexington. Police say they arrested Andrea Empson, 30. She was taken to the Davidson County Jail and is expected to appear in court next month. Jack and Joanna now have their pillows and their lawn chairs back home.
"We know how fortunate we are because so many of these situations I'm sure go unsolved," Jack tells.
Jack says he is particularly grateful how well the Arlo camera works and the swift actions of Lexington Police, but there are still lessons to be learned.
"We're going to keep everything locked up, vehicles and my storage building. Everything will be secured from here on out."
This case isn't closed just yet. Jack is still missing his power tools. Police are still investigating.