Thieves steal mail, vandalize boxes in Estates

A rash of mail theft and mailbox vandalism struck areas of San Diego Country Estates Monday night, reported Laura Lewis, postmaster at Ramona Post Office.

“Whatever was an easy hit, they just hit it,” she said. “It’s a terrible crime.”

About 144 customers were affected on roads that included Watt and Sargent, according to Lewis.

Because postal carriers cannot safely leave mail in the broken boxes, Lewis said she is asking the affected customers to pick up their mail daily at the post office. For elderly residents or those who are unable to get to the post office, Lewis said she is making arrangements so they can receive their mail.

Many of the locked postal boxes, owned by the U.S. Postal Service and containing eight to 16 residential mail slots, were in darker, more desolate areas of the Estates, she said. The units were ripped open and heavily damaged, said the postmaster.

The vandalism was observed by a mail carrier heading into work Tuesday morning, Lewis said, and customers called throughout the day.

“It’s really got the people up there very uncomfortable,” she said.

This is not the first time mail theft has recently occurred in the Estates. On June 2, Ramona sheriff’s deputies arrested four people – three of them San Diego residents – after they were observed emptying mailboxes near the 15000 block of Rainbird Road. When deputies approached the suspects’ vehicle, they saw a plastic shopping basket full of mail in it, said Lt. Jerry Hartman of the Ramona station.

Lewis said the last big rash of mail theft was in desolate areas on Highways 67 and 78, but now it appears the thieves are getting braver.

The Ramona Post Office is working with the sheriff’s department and The Postal Inspection Service. Postal inspectors will provide in-depth theft and activity research, she said, adding that two of them live in Ramona.

Lewis said she hopes to have the broken mailboxes repaired and locks replaced by the July 4 holiday.

She reminds residents to place their mail on vacation hold when they are going to be away from home and to keep vigilant in their observations.