A Union City man who police said stole packages from homes in Palo Alto and San Jose in recent weeks was arrested Tuesday afternoon on an array of drug, weapon and burglary charges after a Midtown resident saw the man steal items off a neighbor’s porch.
Palo Alto police tracked down Andrew Philip Stafford, 25, on New Year’s Day just minutes after a resident on the 2600 block of Marshall Drive noticed him engaging in suspicious behavior at the neighboring property. The resident called the police at about 12:20 p.m. and reported that a man had just taken two packages from the neighboring porch. The caller also provided a description of the thief and his white pickup truck and noted that the man was heading southbound on Ross Road.
About two minutes later, Palo Alto officers spotted the truck and began following it. They watched the man park the truck on the 3400 block of Janice Way, near Greer Road, detained the 25-year-old driver, and searched the truck. Inside, officers allegedly found a cache of illegal and illegally obtained items, including the packages from Marshall Drive (which contained about $120 in property); a personal check that they later determined was stolen from a San Jose mailbox in late December; a collapsible baton and a replica .45-caliber handgun with safety markings removed. Both the baton and the replica gun were within arm’s reach of the driver’s seat, police said.
Police also found Stafford to be in possession of methamphetamine, cocaine and syringes, as well as evidence — including a scale and numerous plastic baggies — that he may have been selling drugs.
Stafford was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for felony charges of possession of stolen property, possession of an illegal baton, and possession of methamphetamine and cocaine for sale. He is also facing misdemeanor charges of possession of an imitation firearm with safety markings removed and possession of drug paraphernalia.
A follow-up investigation indicated that Stafford may have been involved in other cases of missing packages. Palo Alto detectives served a warrant on a storage locker that Stafford rented in Campbell. Inside, detectives found two boxes that they believe may have been stolen off porches in San Jose. Officers are contacting possible owners of these packages to confirm whether the items were indeed stolen, according to a police news release. They are also investigating Stafford’s connection to other local cases of package theft.
In the statement, Palo Alto police praised the resident who made the call on New Year’s Day for both recognizing suspicious behavior and for promptly reporting it.
“The timely call, coupled with a quick response from our officers, led directly to this arrest,” police said.
Police said package theft from porches is a common crime, particular during the holiday season. Palo Alto has had a few cases in the past month but it has not been a widespread problem this holiday season, police said.
Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call the police department’s 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent by text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984.
Good job PAPD. And thank you for including the mug shot. If others have seen this guy staking out your neighborhood, call the police.
Great Job Palo Alto PD … that guy even looks like a creep. So bottom line … if convicted how long of a vacation does the public get from this thug before we are subjected to more of his criminal genius?
Oh, sorry for not thanking and congratulating the involved citizen, the resident on the 2600 block of Marshall Drive, who called the police and report this vermin! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING A GOOD CITIZEN!
Great job, who did as much as the police, and maybe more!
Great job, Marshall Drive resident and PAPD!
Nice job to all involved. I’m glad to see citizens willing to get involved and make the 911 call – I’m also thankful that PAPD responded so quickly and with such successful results.
It can be hard to make the decision to call 911. None of us want to be a nuisance. But this case proves that sometimes it’s better to take the risk.
The police can’t be everywhere at once. An alert and courageous citizen CAN make the difference as we’ve seen here. Again, “GOOD JOB!” to everyone involved.
Figures it would be someone from Union City. I lived
there a short time and moved because the crime level was absolutely intolerable and the police there are so corrupt.
I know this boy well, 6 months ago he was getting a 4.0 and on the Deans List and had a good job and was a responsible father. Meth Addiction ruins lives.
Crystal and crack. Jails are full of addicts for whom these are the drugs that took them over. Unfortunately, in most cases, even prison doesn’t break the cycle.
I wonder if he was using Craigslist or a fence to move the stolen goods? As good a job as the police and the citizen did here, it might have been even more fruitful to tail this guy for a while to see how he was moving the stolen goods.
We all need to look out for each other, as this clearly shows.
This happened on our block! Good work Palo Alto Police Department the reason they caught him is because Palo Alto has the best response time.
Monty Python would remind us to always look on the bright side of life.
It was only a replica of a .45 caliber handgun.
A wonderful story about looking out for each other. Good job, neighbor!
I’ll add my congratulations to the alert resident (talk about a good neighbor!) and the PAPD. Well done.
And I will add my sadness at the fact that another life was ruined by meth. Drugs are dismantling society on so many levels….
Remember the guy who robbed Walgreens on University due to his oxycotin addiction? Addiction is not a choice but a biological consequence some people experience when they are exposed to addictive substances. That is why many of us cannot possibly understand why ‘they just don’t quit’; we do not have that gene. I am not condoning the behavior, I am just trying to point out that it is a conundrum for many of us as to how to have compassion for but not enable the person.
“Addiction is not a choice but a biological consequence some people experience when they are exposed to addictive substances.”
“Exposed” to addictive substances? Please – you mean when they *use* them. Most of us are able to not even *try* them. Don’t try them & you won’t end up an addict – it’s pretty simple.
Heyy, I went to Paly with him. Glad to see he’s made something of himself!