Surrender: Kelli Russell, 33, turned herself in on Wednesday to face charges of theft for allegedly stealing packages from neighbors’ front porches
A model from Dallas turned herself in to police on Wednesday for allegedly pilfering more than $5,000 worth of packages from her neighbors’ front porches.
Kelli Russell, 33, dubbed in the media the ‘porch pirate,’ is expected to be charged with a state felony count of theft of property valued at $2,500-$30,000, which carries a sentence of up to two years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000, if convicted of the crimes.
According to Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson, who announced Russell’s arrest in a press release on Wednesday, Russell was caught stealing packages on video surveillance and in person earlier this month.
Johnson’s office had requested a cash surety bond of $50,000 and electronic monitoring for Russell, but a judge set a $10,000 personal recognizance bond.
‘I want to thank the Dallas Police Department for their hard work. Once the case is formally received from the Dallas Police Department, my prosecutors will begin their work to ensure that justice is served,’ Johnson stated. ‘When our safety and sense of security in our own homes is threatened, those responsible need to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.’
Russell was initially arrested on January 11 on unrelated traffic violations. When police obtained a search warrant for her home in Lakewood, they reportedly discovered a large number of stolen packages.
Russell’s neighbor Aubrey White said at the time that police removed ‘an insane amount of things’ from Russell’s apartment – enough to fill the trunks and backseats of two police cruisers.
White was among the apartment complex dwellers who recognized Russell from the surveillance footage of the package thief that was being circulated online.
In doorbell surveillance footage, a blonde woman can be seen walking up to front doors, picking up packages and then walking away with them
Neighbors identified Russell based on surveillance footage that appeared online
Neighbors said that Russell frequently threw out a large number of packaging boxes
In a number of the videos, filmed at different times at different locations, a blonde woman with her hair in a topknot can be seen brazenly approaching front doors, bending down to pick up brown cardboard packages and then walking away with them.
White told KHOU that Russell was known to throw out a large number of packaging boxes, occasionally even having to use the dumpster across the way because their own building’s dumpster was full.
Another of Russell’s neighbors, Leann Dawson, noted that Russell herself received plenty of packages at her own apartment.
‘We just watched, made sure no one confiscated them,’ Dawson said, laughing at the irony of the situation.
Russell, a model and bartender, is said to have received many packages at her own apartment. Neighbors said they frequently kept an eye on her packages to make sure they weren’t stolen
Russell was initially arrested on January 11 for traffic violations and later released from jail
If convicted of felony theft, the 33-year-old could face up to two years in jail
A judge set Russell’s bond at $10,000; she must also wear a monitoring device
Russel was released from jail on January 12, only to surrender herself to the authorities on Wednesday morning.
In December, Russell created a GoFundMe page for the purpose of buying a car. She said that despite working three jobs, she hadn’t been able to buy herself a car during to a variety of medical bills stemming from ‘horrible insurance’ that didn’t cover MRIs, overnight hospital stays or testing.
The self-described ‘hardworking girl’ managed to raise $330 of her $2,000 goal before the fundraising page was shuttered.
According to Russell’s Model Mayhem page, she lived in the Middle East for three years prior to returning to the Dallas area and has participated in photo shoots for MAC Cosmetics and West Coast Leather.