UTICA, Mich. – The holidays are a time for joy and cheer, but it's also a time for package thieves.
As online shopping ramps up, there have been more reports of packages being stolen from front porches.
UPDATE: Utica police ask residents to contact them if missing packages
In Macomb County, the Utica Police Department has a table filled with packages that could belong to homeowners. A resident helped police track a serial package thief, and now the recovered packages are waiting for their owners.
Resident Kim Colon said she takes the risk because online shopping is the easiest way to shop, especially with a 5-year-old child. But a gift for her child was swiped from her porch.
The thief was caught stealing packages from several different homes in Utica, including Grant Park and Deshon streets, police said.
A Utica man who ordered a replacement for a stolen package said he came home as the replacement was being delivered, and he found a minivan backed into his driveway with a woman stealing the package, police said.
He called 911 and followed the minivan until a Utica police officer showed up.
Police said the woman admitted stealing other packages, and some were found at her home.
Officials said anyone who's missing a package should call the Utica Police Department because they might have recovered the package.
Police said the woman lives in the neighborhood from which she was allegedly stealing.
Anyone who is missing a package, no matter how expensive, is asked to report it.
The accused package thief has been ripping labels off the packages, making it impossible to track where they belong.
The woman is expected to be in court this week to face larceny charges.