A local woman is in custody Tuesday after she was accused of stealing packages around the holidays.
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station detectives arrested Mariola Gorak-Doughlin, 58, of Saugus, on grand theft charges.
Detectives began monitoring the Saugus area after several residents have been reported that UPS and Fed-Ex packages were stolen off their front porch, starting in early December.
On one occasion, a witness reported seeing a female taking some packages from their neighbor’s porch, according to a Sheriff’s Department statement.
Gorak-Doughlin was arrested by detectives as she was leaving her residence in the 21800 block of Maged Court.
Several pieces of stolen property were recovered from this location from five separate victims. She was booked at Santa Clarita Valley Station with a bail of $20,000.
Gorak-Doughlin is due to appear in court Thursday, at the San Fernando courthouse.
There is no further information at this time as the investigation is continuing.
Sheriff’s Department officials hoped the incident would serve as a reminder to those expecting packages to be extra careful regarding where they have their items shipped.
“We’re asking people to send their packages to work, because we’ve had several reported thefts,” said Deputy Josh Dubin of the Sheriff’s Station.
Packages that sit on a porch or doorstep are more likely to be stolen, according to the statement.
Another tip offered in the statement is that homeowners try to ensure that someone is home during the day the package is delivered. If this is not possible, send the package to a relative or neighbor that you know will be home during delivery.