2 suspects arrested for mail theft in Clovis, police say
Police say the pickup had stolen letters and packages from the mailbox, which was opened with a key.
CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Clovis Police Department has arrested two suspects accused of mail theft. Authorities said the two men had stolen letters and packages from a mailbox, which was opened with the postal service's master key.
Police say they got a report of the theft from a community mailbox in a neighborhood near Locan and Bullard on Thursday morning.
Drone video from the Clovis Police Department shows officers closing in on and detaining two men suspected of stealing mail from homes.
"One of the suspects is known to this vehicle. He was located in the field of Laverne and Keats Avenue. Both suspects were hiding in the brush," Cpl. Alcorn.
Officers said one of the suspects is known to have stolen mail before. Clovis PD was alerted of the possible theft by a neighbor.
Action News spoke to the family who made the complaint. They didn't want to appear on camera for privacy reasons, but they did share this security video that shows the moment they knew something was wrong.
Clovis PD said it's becoming difficult to tell when mail is stolen.
"In this case here, the mailbox was not damaged. It appears they had a key, which seems to be a common trend now," said Cpl. Alcorn.
People in the Harlan Ranch neighborhood in Clovis have also experienced frequent mail theft.
Lorraine Lynn has had her mail stolen several times while living in Clovis. And thieves have gone as far as stealing her identity.
"I started getting charges for a lot of department stores. They were just doing an account lookup. And then a couple of months after that, that's when the post office notified me that my mail was stolen out of the mailbox," said Lynn.
She had trouble fighting the several thousand dollars' worth of charges the crooks racked up. And she says it's affected more than just her wallet and time.
"I'm a single mom with four kids. It impacts my kids, my family, my livelihood, everything I work for, my credit I worked so hard for," said Lynn.
Clovis PD said mail theft happens year-round but peaks during the holidays. USPS adds it's because thieves understand more mail with gifts inside are making their way into mailboxes.
"The real key is to offer appropriate protection. So, if you're expecting something of value, have it insured. If it's gonna be delivered, requires a signature. Just take a couple extra steps," said Fitch.
If you think your mail was stolen, Fitch says the best thing you can do is to file a report with the U-S Postal Inspection Service, the Postal Service's law enforcement arm.
You can contact a post inspector at 1-877-876-2455.
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