Two women have been detained following multiple reports of package thefts in the West U area over the weekend, according to the West University Police Department.
Police claimed they followed the suspected vehicle’s movements to the Memorial Villages area before conducting a traffic stop.
Tania Lisbeth Medrano and Mariela Reyes were arrested and transported to West University Place Jail.
According to officials, Reyes had an active warrant, while Medrano was detained for an immigration violation.
As authorities searched the vehicle, they discovered many receipts from local pawn shops for suspected stolen packages. According to officials, the women then admitted to stealing the gifts from porches in the West U neighborhood, with plans to take more.
Police say they located the women using security footage and the Virtual Gate system.
“When they were stopped, both the driver and the passenger had outstanding warrants which they were detained for and brought to our station for further questioning for the package thefts. And when we did inventory of the car we had developing leads from pawnshop receipts which matched the description of some of the victim’s items that were missing,” West University Police office Katie Wilson said.
Officers stated that they worked closely with the pawn shop to recover the stolen packages. Residents reported on social media that their items had been returned.
Both ladies were charged with theft and put on immigration hold.
Wilson advised against leaving holiday gifts on porches for too long.
“If you’re not going to be there we encourage you to contact family, friends, neighbors, to pick up those packages for you. And if you have cameras or lights at night it can help deter,” Wilson said.
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