According to the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, a Georgia man has been charged with a felony for allegedly removing a porch from his neighbor’s front yard.
Robin Swanger was arrested after the incident on Clemit Harris Road in Arnco, Georgia.
FOX 5 Atlanta reported that the proprietor of the property from which Swanger allegedly stole the porch stated that nothing was available for theft despite the lot’s apparent abandonment.
According to investigators, Swanger reportedly passed “no trespassing” signs in the yard on his way to remove the wooden porch left on the property after the home was removed.
It’s an 8×10 porch that’s full size. For entry and egress, it would be what is attached to a dwelling, CCSO investigator Chris Stapler told FOX 5. It was “very well constructed.”
Swanger has been referred to by investigators as a literal porch pirate for the crime, a term generally used to refer to someone suspected of stealing packages from a home’s doorstep.
“Some people may shrug their shoulders and say it’s not a big deal, but when you take someone’s property without their consent and the value of this porch is $3,000, you can’t just go and take stuff off someone’s property,” said Stapler.
During the incident investigation, deputies claimed that the porch occasionally turned up on the property upside down.
After several days of scouring, Swanger was located by deputies who responded to a domestic disturbance call at his residence.
In addition to the felony theft allegation for stealing the porch, he is also charged with two counts of domestic violence, including assault.