Tip leads to arrest of alleged package thief in Livonia

A good Samaritan helped lead to the arrest of a thief in Livonia this week, police said.

On Tuesday, the city police department issued an alert seeking tips to find a suspect captured on home security video stealing packages from a porch near Inkster and Lyndon. That person was seen fleeing in an older model white Ford Expedition, according to the notice. 

A resident who read the alert spotted the vehicle and a woman matching the description walking across a front yard Wednesday near Middlebelt and Oakview, police said in a statement.

She called the police department, gave investigators the license plate number and told them where it appeared to be headed, according to the release.

Officers found the SUV and conducted a traffic stop. The woman, initially gave a fake name but was identified as Kiasha Smith, 26, of Georgia, and arrested. Her vehicle was impounded.

Investigators said they also linked Smith to a retail fraud in the city this month.

She was arraigned Wednesday in 16th District Court on charges of larceny, retail fraud and disguise with intent to obstruct/hinder law enforcement, records show.

A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Dec. 15.