Suspected holiday package thief booked into jail

SALT LAKE CITY — A man accused of stealing holiday packages off of doorsteps was arrested Wednesday after a tip from a KSL TV viewer led bail enforcement agents to the man's hideout.

Larry Ray Stairs, 43, was taken in by bail enforcement agents, commonly known as bounty hunters, and arrested for outstanding warrants of drug possession, failure to stop at an officer's command and possession of burglary tools. 

Bounty hunter "Pistol Pete" Minenno said relatives told him Stairs is suspected of taking machinery from construction sites, but in the winter when sites are locked up, he turns his attention to doorsteps.

Following a news report by KSL's Andrew Wittenberg on Tuesday, Minenno said he received a call from a viewer, leading him to a residence in Sandy where Stairs opened the door.

"He looked at me and I said 'Larry,' and he shut the door," Minenno said. "I kicked two times and he opened up. It was game over."

Stairs was booked into Salt Lake County Jail with bail totaling $77,505.

Contributing: Andrew Wittenberg

— McKenzie Romero

Twitter: @McKenzieRomero