POLICE MUG SHOTS | Teresa Doige, left, and Lillian Kirchberger stand accused of stealing Christmas packages off the front steps of homes in Wading River.

Update

The Southold Town Police Department announced Sunday it has returned packages to 33 alleged victims of the two women arrested earlier this month for stealing Christmas presents delivered to houses across the North Fork. This will likely lead to 33 additional counts of misdemeanor larceny, police said. This investigation is still active and charges are pending.

There are still a number of unclaimed items being held, police said. If you feel you may have been a victim and are missing property please contact Detective Harned at (631) 765-2974.

Dec. 19, 2012

Turns out it wasn’t the Grinch who stole Christmas presents off the front steps of North Fork houses the past few weeks.

Two Mattituck women were arrested Tuesday and charged with the theft of several UPS packages from the front steps of homes in Wading River, Riverhead Town police said.

The suspects are believed to be connected to similar incidents on the North Fork, Southold Town police said. Some of the packages taken were recovered by police, and are waiting for their rightful owners to pick them up.

Police received reports of packages, many of them Christmas gifts, being stolen from in front of houses in the area Friday. One of the thefts was captured on surveillance footage, which was turned over to investigators, Riverhead police said.

Police identified the thieves as Lillian Kirchberger and Teresa Doige, both 42, according to a police report. They were charged with three counts of petit larceny, police said.

Two weeks ago, packages were taken from two separate houses in Aquebogue, according to police reports.

In the first incident on Dec. 5, two women driving a blue station wagon pulled up to an Edgar Avenue home and removed several packages near the house. Three days later on Dec. 8, an unknown person took a package from the front porch of a home on Linda Avenue, police said.

Police said it was not clear if the incidents were related.

“We definitely have them on the three that they’re charged with,” said Riverhead police Det. Sgt. Joseph Loggia.

Southold police Det. Sgt. John Sinning said Southold police had not arrested the women yet, but were investigating about a half-dozen incidents and will make an arrest in the future.

Sgt. Sinning said police recovered some of the stolen Christmas presents from the suspects’ home and vehicle.

“My whole office is filled with Christmas presents,” he said.

Sgt. Sinning asked that North Fork residents who think their presents were stolen contact Southold police.

psquire@timesreview.com