Bicyclist carrying box with a UPS shipping label stole it off Wichita porch, police say

Wichita police caught a suspected porch pirate after officers spotted a man riding a bicycle while carrying a package with a shipping label Wednesday afternoon.

The two Wichita Police Department officers were in the area of Broadway and Lincoln working a special assignment watching for thefts from porches at around 2:45 p.m. Wednesday. They saw Cory Buffum riding a bike, and he was carrying an Epson Printer box with a UPS shipping label on it, WPD spokesman Officer Charley Davidson said.

The officers stopped Buffum and the investigation determined the package had been stolen from the porch of a home in the 1400 block of West McCormick, Davidson said. The stolen property was returned to its rightful owner, who told police there was a Ring video of the crime.

Buffum, 35, of Wichita, was arrested on suspicion of theft and an outstanding warrant. He is being held in the Sedgwick County Jail in lieu of a $50,000 bond from the warrant.

Buffum was previously listed by the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office as a wanted felon. His outstanding warrant was for a probation violation stemming from a 2018 theft case in Sedgwick County. District court records show he pleaded guilty to stealing a 2014 Chevy Cruze and a 2002 Chevy Silverado and was sentenced to probation with an underlying prison sentence.

The Kansas Department of Corrections listed him as an absconder in July.

This story was originally published December 19, 2019 at 4:22 PM.