A man accused of dressing as a woman to steal packages from Alabama homes is now behind bars after security footage helped deputies track him down.
Authorities say 46-year-old Todd Anthony Bond of Mississippi was arrested early Friday morning by the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, ending a bizarre string of thefts that had residents and investigators puzzled.
Sergeant Lonnie Parsons told WKRG that two major clues led deputies to Bond — the getaway vehicle and his unusual appearance.
“A couple of things that kind of stuck out to us that helped solve this crime was the vehicle,” Parsons said. “Obviously, the more important thing was this person’s particular look. With Halloween coming up, we were trying to understand whether this person was dressed for Halloween or if this is the way they normally dress.”
Home surveillance video captured Bond pulling into a Mobile County driveway in a black Ford Escape during daylight hours. He was seen casually vaping before loading several packages into his SUV and driving away.
In the footage, Bond appeared to be a woman — wearing a blouse, skirt, and a purple jeweled headband over long blonde hair. But when deputies later pulled over the same Ford Escape, they discovered the “woman” in the video was Bond himself.
During that traffic stop around 1 a.m. Friday, Bond was still dressed in women’s clothing. Authorities have not determined whether he was using a disguise or simply prefers cross-dressing. Deputies have identified Bond using male pronouns.
Booking photos show Bond wearing makeup, lipstick, and a wig, with long bleached hair brushed back from his face. Inside his vehicle, deputies found several stolen packages — including those taken from the Mobile residence seen in the video — as well as additional parcels reported missing from nearby homes.
“We believe that the suspect had originally left the state,” Parsons explained. “We received information that they were possibly coming back into Alabama while we were lying in wait. When we placed them in custody and looked inside the vehicle, lo and behold, we found the original packages that were stolen.”
Records show Bond had been released from prison about six months before this latest arrest. He is currently being held in Mobile County Metro Jail ahead of a bail hearing scheduled for Monday.