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Campbell Police Use GPS 'Bait' To Nab Porch Pirate

CAMPBELL (CBS SF) -- A 27-year-old woman suspected of stealing a package from a porch in Campbell last month was arrested Friday morning through a GPS program introduced earlier this week, police said.

RELATED ARTICLE: Campbell Police Using Bait Packages To Catch Mail Thieves

Sara Lisa Loretz was arrested in connection with the theft captured on security video at a home on Nov. 18 shortly after 4 p.m., police said.

The footage was released earlier this week during the GPS bait program's launch and led to tips that helped detectives identify Loretz as the suspect, according to police.

The 27-year-old woman was arrested around 9:30 a.m. at her San Jose home where she confessed to the Campbell theft and other recent porch packages thefts in the area, police said.

Detectives have also found other stolen items including baby clothes and a collector's edition magazine, according to police.

Investigators are asking recent package theft victims in Campbell, Los Gatos and San Jose's Willow Glen neighborhood and west side to check their surveillance systems for any footage capturing a suspect who appears similar to Loretz, according to police.

Loretz was also arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and being under the influence of a controlled substance, according to police.

Under the new program, officers place a bait package outside homes and businesses with a GPS device that notifies officers if the item is stolen and allows them to catch the suspect, police said.

The program builds on the department' bait bike program that has helped officers nab bike thieves, according to police.

The program was created to address porch package thefts that increase during the holiday season, in part due to online shopping, police said.

To avoid becoming a victim of a package theft, the public is advised to ask the delivery company to hold the item at a pickup facility, selecting a specific drop-off time when someone is home and making arrangements to leave the package with a neighbor or at a workplace, police said.

© Copyright 2016 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

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