A Calumet Region couple was swiping gifts as fast as the UPS driver could deliver them, police in Illinois and Indiana say.
Charges against Marcus McCoy, 30, and Tanya White, 37, likely will include theft, burglary, forgery and unlawful use of a credit card, authorities said. Police listed two addresses for McCoy and White, 4849 Gladiola Ave. in East Chicago and 14915 Main St. in Harvey.
After a 4 p.m. Friday raid on the East Chicago address, Lake County sheriff's police confiscated "tens of thousands of dollars" worth of merchandise, including a collector's edition light saber worth about $800, Chicago White Sox American League Championship plaques, a flat-panel plasma TV, stereo systems, clothing and toys.
The loot packed the back of a Lake County Sheriff's Department van and the trunk of a police car, and poured onto the lawn as officers waited for a cargo truck.
"These are truly the grinches that stole Christmas from kids all over this area," said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Nick D'Angelo, who was present at the Indiana search.
Police say the couple stole packages from people's porches, used stolen credit cards to buy merchandise online and burglarized homes.
McCoy and White were arrested about 1:45 p.m. Wednesday by the Lansing officers who responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle following a UPS truck.
Lansing police Sgt. Chris Mizner said the couple was following the United Parcel Service vehicle and waiting for the driver to drop off packages so they could steal them.
The UPS driver told police he had noticed the same van following him a week earlier. A customer told the driver he saw a man get out of the van and take a package from someone's front porch, a police report said.
After noticing the suspicious vehicle Wednesday, the UPS driver pulled over and waited for the van to drive past him. He then wrote down the licence plate number, police said.
Police followed a trail of empty UPS boxes littering the road, and found the burgundy full-size Chevrolet van with Illinois license plates on 178th Street and Arcadia Drive. White and McCoy were in the van, along with the couple's 2-week-old baby, according to police.
As an officer waited for the van to be towed, he noticed a brown UPS box between the two front seats. The officer then looked in the back of the van and saw the vehicle was filled with various consumer products.
Police said White's father came to the station and took custody of the child. Police also contacted the Department of Child and Family Services.
McCoy and White are suspected of stealing gifts or scamming them in Homewood, Flossmoor and Lansing in Illinois, D'Angelo said.
Police in Indiana towns, including Munster and Hammond, also are checking their cases for possible connections.
"We're happy to arrest a grinch anytime," said Lake County Sheriff Rogelio "Roy" Dominguez, whose department assisted in the investigation. "During the holiday season, these people never take a break."
Along with the stolen items, the department confiscated a printer with journal paper that officials said they believe the couple was going to use to print receipts to return items for profit.
They also found mounds of shredded wrapping paper removed from merchandise. Cmdr. Shaw Spurlock, of the Lake County Sheriff's Department, pulled crumpled red wrapping paper with a tag "Love Grandma Mary and Aunt Renee" still attached.
D'Angelo said a true value couldn't be placed on the stolen presents.
"To the kids who aren't going to get any Christmas gifts because of these guys, it's priceless," he said.
Residents who believe they are missing gifts that should have arrived can call (219) 755-3246.
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