Manvel mom fights off porch thieves with a box of fully loaded diapers

MANVEL, TX (KTRK) -- Necessity is said to be the mother of invention and a Manvel mom invented a new way to respond to thieves targeting package deliveries to her Rodeo Palms neighborhood.

Kimberly Smasitrla, a mother of three young sons, goes through about 60 diapers a week. She decided to re-purpose the used diapers as bait for a porch pirate.

"I suspected if they were desperate enough they would see the box on my front porch, not suspecting it was baby poop," she said.

She believes a box containing items for her autistic son was stolen, because she has yet to receive it.

Two days ago, she put the taped cardboard box on her porch, below a handmade sign asking delivery personnel not to leave packages because a thief is at work in the neighborhood.

It worked. Last night the box was taken, and she was pleased.

"Then a neighbor said look on the side of your house, because that's what they do -- toss the box and take what's inside. They were right," she said.

The dirty diapers were tossed at the brick wall but she believes they got the message.

"We're hard-working people over here and we don't want our stuff stolen, and we're tired of it. We're in revolt," she said.

It's recommended that deliveries be requested to be placed inside a fenced area, or a neighbor accept them if the recipient isn't home. Delivery services also offer pickup at warehouses.

The Manvel mom is trying to improve on her design should someone else try to pilfer packages.

"I'm thinking about spring-loaded 'poop' so it will hit them in the face when they open the box," she said. "My nephew said he can design the spring."