Community rallies around Charlotte teen after JROTC ball dress stolen by 'porch pirate'

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte teen will look like a princess Saturday night for her Military Ball, but it almost did not happen after someone stole her dress off her porch.

Lonzetta Daniel said she was the latest victim of a porch pirate. She told Channel 9 her daughter's dress for the Military Ball was swiped the day it was delivered.

"It was red. She was going to have a red dress from Fashion Nova with some sparkly heels," Daniel said.

It was too late for the company to ship a replacement in time for her daughter's first JROTC ball, so Myers Park High School teacher Lisa Patrizio said she would have to go to the dance in her military uniform.

"I could tell she was heartbroken and it just made me sad for her. She's just a hard-working student, she's in my honors class, she loves JROTC at Myers Park," Patrizio said.

Patrizio said to help her student, she turned to social media, but instead, hundreds of strangers stepped up to help.

"At best, I was hoping to get somebody's dress, a used dress she could borrow," Patrizio said. "I got a least a hundred pictures of different dresses. People offering to give their dresses for Rebecca to go to the ball."

A generous reader donated a $500 gift card to Belks for hair and makeup and small business owner Ashleigh Vanderwalker let Rebecca pick any dress of her choice to keep.

"I know that process of looking for a dress, it takes a while, you want to make sure it's perfect," Vanderwalker said.

Daniel said it was a surprise she and her daughter will never forget.

"This is like one of the happiest days other than giving birth to her of my life," Daniel said. "I'm trying not to cry right now, but I'm grateful. I'm grateful. It's like a dream we haven't woken up from yet and she deserves it too."

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