Thurston Sheriff’s deputies find stolen community mailbox, detain 4 suspects

Thurston County Sheriff’s deputies caught four people with a stolen community mailbox Wednesday, prompting a reminder from the office: With government stimulus checks on their way, now is a time to closely monitor your mail.

About 3 a.m. Wednesday, deputies responded to a suspicious vehicle complaint near Friendly Grove Road Northeast and 27th Court Northeast and arrived to find mail strewn across the road for several blocks, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

After finding the vehicle, deputies detained four suspects and found, inside the vehicle, a community mailbox that belonged at 36th Avenue Northeast and Harrington Lane Northeast, about 1.5 miles away, a Facebook post from the office reads.

One suspect confessed the group had been stealing mail and stole that entire mailbox, according to the post.

A fraud detective with the Sheriff’s Office is assigned to the case, Lt. Ray Brady told The Olympian. The detective works closely with the Postal Inspectors’ office, Brady said, which will likely be assisting in the investigation.

Once the office sorts through what was stolen, the mail will be returned to its rightful owners, Brady said. He expects all four suspects will be charged: a 30-year-old man, a 38-year-old man, a 42-year-old man, and 35-year-old woman, all from Thurston County.

With most taxpayers receiving stimulus payments of up to $1,200 per adult and $500 per dependent child as part of the federal government’s $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package, Brady says the U.S. Postal Service has warned there could be a significant rise in this type of behavior.

Now is a time to be “very, very vigilant,” Brady said, and to check your mail or have a neighbor check your mail as soon as it’s delivered.

This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 8:08 AM.