Watch out for porch pirates

UPDATE 4/4/16 6 PM:Salinas police busted a mail theft operation, but the crimes aren’t confined to Salinas.

Police in Santa Cruz and South Santa Clara County have also made mail theft arrests in the last few weeks. They say it’s a common crime, but there’s something in particular they could be looking for.

Police say Jennifer Padgett, also known as Jennifer Singh and Jennifer Cressio, is responsible for stealing mail on West Acadia Street in Salinas. Police say a homeowner with a surveillance system captured video of her taking a package. Authorities posted the picture online to garner leads.

“We had an excellent picture of her, as well as the vehicle she was associated with,” said Salinas Police Commander Sheldon Bryan. “So we put the photograph of the female out on Facebook and within the hour we already had two people calling in with the name of that person.”

Padgett and a man were arrested just hours later and now face charges including theft, drug and possession of stolen property. Authorities even linked them to more mail thefts.

“Based on what we saw inside their truck, this is something they were doing on a regular basis,” Bryan said. “So the officer that took the original report has been following up with people who he has been able to identify from various documents and mail that were found inside of the vehicle and we’re going to continue to make cases on these folks.”

Erika Mendez says her neighborhood of a year is a nice and quiet area, but the news of mail thefts worry her.

“Our neighbor over here, their mailbox is right outside and it’s very visible so I’m very concerned for them,” Mendez said. “I am concerned because my sister orders a lot of packages and they are left right on our doorstep so, that does concern me.”

These latest arrests come after busts in Santa Clara County and Santa Cruz.

Morgan Hill Police say Latasha Judge, 37, and Myisha Johnson, 36, both of San Jose, were caught prying open mailboxes at the Murphy Ranch Apartments on East Dunne Avenue on March 29. The women were arrested for possession of burglary tools, committing mail theft, felony vandalism and warrants.

That same week, Santa Cruz police Lilian Norma, 30, was arrested after she was caught going through mail on Bixby Street. She had been previously identified as the suspect going through mail at another home on Escalona Drive.

“She’s been arrested at least seven times this year for burglary, it looked like she was in possession of somebody else’s identity, possession of drugs,” said Joyce Blaschke, community relations specialist for the Santa Cruz Police Department.

Authorities say mail theft is a common crime with thieves targeting anything that can be used for fraud or identity theft, items like credit card offers or bank statements.

“I would better describe it as cyclical,” Blaschke said. “Right now it’s tax season, so people are getting tax checks in the mail and mail thieves are looking for them.”

Santa Cruz police offer these tips to protecting your mail:
• Install a locking mailbox.
• Use the letter slots inside your Post Office for your mail, or hand it to a letter carrier.
• Pick up mail promptly after delivery. Don’t leave it in a mailbox overnight.
• Mail thieves look for bank statements and credit card bills, which can be used to create counterfeit checks or fake identifications. Sign up for online banking and paperless statements to access accounts, statements and history online.
• If someone is expecting checks, credit cards, or other negotiable items, ask a trusted friend or neighbor to pick up the mail.
• If someone doesn’t receive their expected check or other valuable mail, contact the issuing agency immediately.
• Don’t send cash in the mail.
• Tell the Post Office when planning a trip out of town, so they can hold mail upon return.
If a mail thief or anything suspicious is seen, call 911.

ORIGINAL POST:

Mail thieves have been making the news recently.

Last week, Santa Cruz Police arrested a woman named Lillian Norman who was spotted rifling through mailboxes on Bixby Street. According to police, the 30-year-old had stolen mail and drugs on her.

Police also said Norman had several outstanding warrants for her arrest. Two weeks prior to her arrest, police identified Norman as the suspected mail thief in a video posted on the department’s blog. Surveillance caught a woman taking mail from a mailbox on Escalona drive on March 15.

Also last week, Salinas Police arrested a woman named Jennifer Padgett (Singh), 38, in connection to a stolen package off a doorstep on West Acacia Street. She was booked into jail for possession of stolen property and drug charges along with a parolee she was caught with — Billy Davis, 27.

In both cases, the department thanked the community for their help in sharing the surveillance video and photographs through social media.

Following these cases, Mariana Hicks looks into mail thefts across the Central Coast and whether they’re on the rise.

And for more information on Norman’s case, and tips on securing mail, click here.