Bounty hunter catches accused Christmas package thief thanks to KSL viewer


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SALT LAKE CITY — A man accused of stealing holiday packages off of doorsteps was arrested Wednesday after a tip from a KSL News 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.

The arrest ended a 15-hour day that started with an early wake-up call.

"We got a phone call (at) 3 o'clock in the morning from the ... (KSL) story from the night before," said bounty hunter "Pistol Pete" Minenno. "That led one thing to another, and here we did get him."

Stairs had skipped a court appearance and has numerous warrants for his arrest. 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.

This tightly woven cat-and-mouse symphony hit a crescendo at about 3 p.m. Wednesday at one of Stairs' safe houses.

"I came with the shotgun right in his face," Minenno said. "When he opened the door and he looked at me, I said, 'Larry ...' He shut the door."

Minenno then kicked the door twice before Stairs came out, hands in the air. He was taken into custody, but he denied having anything to do with stealing packages from doorsteps.

"(He said,) 'I didn't do that. I don't know who told you that. That wasn't true,'" Minenno said. "And I almost believe him."

We may never know for sure if Stairs was actually taking all the presents, but we do know a fugitive is off the streets.

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

Contributing: McKenzie Romero

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