‘Karma exists’: 2 Washington State porch pirates snatch packages. Door cam footage shows how one wound up too injured to walk

2018 door cam footage from Lizeth and David Ababneh’s home near Bothell, Washington, has gone viral, showing two alleged “porch pirates” caught in the act, as one of them suffered a painful fall that landed her in need of medical care. As Abadneh told her husband at the time, the sequence of events captured on camera proves “karma exists.”

According to the Washington news outlet, KOMO, the door cam footage shows a UPS delivery person approaching the house and dropping the packages on the porch. Then, a sedan pulls up in front of the house on an otherwise quiet residential street. A woman — later identified as then 37-year-old Alicia Treat — jogs up to the porch, grabs the three packages, and dashes toward the waiting car. One package reportedly contains vital medication.

Treat took a nasty fall

But as Treat runs across the wet grass in front of the home, she slips and falls hard, injuring her ankle. She collapsed, unable to get up, while the driver of the car, then 39-year-old Brian Devere, ran toward her, picked her up, and carried her back to the vehicle. Then, in a stunning moment, he got back out and returned to the house, retrieving the stolen boxes before speeding away.

Once contacted, authorities quickly identified the pair from the footage. Police arrested Treat and her accomplice, Devere, shortly afterward at a motel in nearby Everett. Detectives say they located the motel after tracing the registered owner of the getaway car shown in the video.

Court records describe Devere as having a lengthy criminal history, including prior convictions for identity theft, auto theft, burglary, and other felonies. Treat, by contrast, had a relatively minimal prior record: Her only past offense was a misdemeanor, over a decade earlier. Investigators recovered the stolen packages, including the expensive medication.

Both suspects were formally charged with theft in Snohomish County court after the victims’ video went viral. Adding further complication, Treat initially failed to appear for a scheduled court date, prompting authorities to issue a warrant for her arrest. Cops eventually apprehended her, however. She pleaded guilty to an amended charge of third-degree theft, ultimately resulting in a 90-day jail sentence.

Porch piracy: an ongoing problem

The theft of packages left outside homes is known as “porch piracy.” It has surged in recent years as online shopping grows, particularly during the holiday season.

Thieves exploit unattended packages, targeting times when homeowners are at work or otherwise out. Although some may dismiss such thefts as “minor,” they can carry serious consequences. In many states, including Washington, repeated or multiple-address thefts can be prosecuted as felonies, with penalties that include prison time and substantial fines. So, porch piracy isn’t just petty crime; it’s real, it’s personal, and sometimes, as Ababneh said, karma really does catch up.