Arrests remind residents not to let grinches steal Christmas

Police say the arrests of two men suspected of stealing packages off front porches is a good reminder for residents not to let burglars ruin their holiday season.

Cottonwood Heights police

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COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS Police say the arrests of two men suspected of stealing packages off front porches is a good reminder for residents not to let burglars ruin their holiday season.

On Thursday, Cottonwood Heights police arrested two men believed to have taken packages from homes in their city and West Jordan over the past two weeks.

"The suspects were following UPS delivery vans and were walking up to residences taking packages after they were dropped off," said Cottonwood Heights Police Sgt. Corbett Ford.

Sometime between Nov. 27 and Nov. 30, Ford says packages left on a porch in Cottonwood Heights were taken. But surveillance video recorded by the victims proved to be "extremely beneficial," he said.

Investigators got a general description of the men and their vehicle. About 3 p.m. Thursday, an officer spotted a vehicle that matched the description near Ft. Union Boulevard and 1300 East and pulled it over.

The driver, Douglas Dru Kemp, 37, of West Jordan, was ultimately arrested for investigation of drug possession. Police also found a package in the vehicle that had recently been taken off a porch in West Jordan, Ford said.

"The driver also had a knife. And he also had a black airsoft handgun in the storage compartment that had the orange tip either removed or painted over. They were taking steps to make sure you didn't know if it's a real gun or a fake gun," he said.

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Arrests remind residents not to let grinches steal Christmas