A trail of footprints in the snow led Ypsilanti police to a man who stole a Christmas gift from a woman's car this morning, a police news release said.
The 45-year-old Ypsilanti man was arrested after being found at an apartment in the 500 block of North Congress Street about 12:45 a.m., the release said.
A 22-year-old woman reported that she looked out her bedroom window and saw a man walking away from her car with a drill she bought for someone as a Christmas present.
It's unclear how the man got into her car. She rushed downstairs and saw him cross the street, then lost sight of him, a police incident log said.
Officers followed footprints to the apartment and heard people inside arguing about bringing stolen property there, the release said.
Officers were given consent to search the apartment and didn't find the drill, but located a man matching the description of the thief. His shoe size and tread matched up with the footprints, the release said.
Officers detained the man and followed another trail of footprints from the apartment to a Dumpster, where they recovered the drill still in its box.
The car owner positively identified the man as the thief. He was taken to the Washtenaw County Jail on a parole violation, the release said. He's expected to be arraigned today on a charge of larceny from an automobile, police said.
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