DECEMBER 26--A 44-year-old woman is facing a felony charge for the Christmas morning theft of children’s gifts from under the tree at a Florida hotel, police report.

Investigators allege that Erica Rothenbuhler entered the lobby of a Red Roof Inn early Thursday morning and “began looking under the tree.”

As captured on hotel security video, Rothenbuhler “then took 6 total toys...which were for kids before leaving the lobby.”

The pilfered presents, cops say, were worth $48.

An arrest report does indicate who the items were intended for or whether they had been collected in a toy drive at the St. Petersburg hotel.

When police subsequently located Rothenbuhler, she reportedly “made spontaneous statements saying that she thought the gifts were for the kids in the building.” Cops noted that the defendant “does not have any children.”

Pictured above, Rothenbuhler was arrested for theft. While the charge would normally be a misdemeanor, the matter was upgraded to a felony due to Rothenbuhler’s prior convictions for stealing from a Winn-Dixie supermarket and a Wawa convenience store.

Rothenbuhler is locked up in the county jail in lieu of $5000 bond. She faces a maximum of five years in prison if convicted of the third-degree felony. (1 page)