Patterson Irrigator | Your Local Paper - $50K offered for postal theft info

November 21, 2008 Patterson, CA

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$50K offered for postal theft info

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Written by John Saiz / Patterson Irrigator /
Saturday, 12 January 2008
To help Anyone who knows details about recent post-office crimes in the valley can call 983-6467. Thefts targeting the U.S. Postal Service in the Central Valley have led the agency to offer as much as $50,000 as a reward to anyone who can help catch the thieves. Taking it seriously: The U.S. Postal Service is offering a hefty reward after a string of mail thefts and robberies throughout the Central Valley. Patterson’s post office, shown above, was targeted in one of the earlier incidents, a theft on Dec. 5. Photo by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator The postal service is remaining tight-lipped on many of the crimes’ details, but Patterson Postmaster Rick Robles said thieves made off with mail from Patterson Post Office on Dec. 5. That was just one in a series of Central Valley crimes postal inspectors belive are connected. The most recent crime happened Jan. 5 in Ceres, postal service representative Kristine Kearney said. In that incident, two people robbed a driver while the employee picked up the mail. According to a written statement from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the agency is “offering up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible for a robbery of a USPS driver at the Ceres Post Office.” Another nearby robbery happened Dec. 17, when a driver was robbed in the French Camp area. “If you see an unusual car (around the post office), get the license plate number,” Robles suggested. “Or if someone knows someone, there’s $50,000 out there.” Robles said the postal inspector’s office has already made one arrest regarding the matter, but he gave no details. Those who are charged with crimes concerning U.S. mail or the postal service face federal charges and would likely serve any jail time in a federal facility. The post office, Robles said, takes mail crimes seriously. “This is personal,” Robles said. “I’ve come back numerous times at night in case I’d see something. It’s about the sanctity of the mail.” To reach John Saiz at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Set as favorite Bookmark Email This Hits: 470 Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment Name Email Title Comment smaller \| bigger Subscribe via email (Registered users only) I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.