Salinas mailbox target of three break-ins

Residents in Salinas are up in arms after their neighborhood mailbox was broken into for the third straight time Wednesday morning.

They feel like nothing is being done to protect their sensitive mail and information, but the United States Postal Service says they are on the case.

On Madrone Drive in Salinas, a 40-home mailbox was once again found wide open and empty.

“We don’t know where our mail is at, what to do with it, no one’s notified us,” said Eva Martinez, a victim of the mail theft.

It has already been the target of two other break-ins, one earlier this month and the other in December.

“And the thing was open and there was nothing in it except I saw one envelope to my sister in Hawaii,” said Howard Barnett, another victim.

Residents are missing than just holiday cards. Important documents like tax returns, retirement information and insurance accounts are all missing.

“I myself was waiting for a PIN for a credit card,” said Martinez.

“We’re seeing other mail theft in the Salinas area, and the key to these investigations is the reporting,” said Jeff Fitch, a postal inspector for the law enforcement arm of the USPS.

Fitch says it is not typical that the same mailbox gets busted into repeatedly, and reporting the crime is helpful to find a theft pattern and the suspects.

Residents suspect something more sophisticated, believing someone has the key.

“A neighbor said did you notice there’s no forced entry, it’s not broken. I go, yeah, what the hell?” said Barnett.

“We have individuals that have counterfeited keys,” said Fitch. “That will be part of the investigation to determine exactly, but if there’s been no damage and the box has been hit three times, there is that possibility.”

It is a federal crime to break into mailboxes, punishable by up to five years in federal prison and up to $250,000 in fines. Fitch says the mere possession of a counterfeit or real postal key is a federal felony, and it may land you up to 10 years in a federal prison.

Victims have gone so far as contacting Congressman Jimmy Panetta’s office hoping to solve the issue, and they are frustrated with how slowly things are moving.

“We’ve encouraged our neighbors to try and see if we can identify who the person or persons are,” said Martinez.

The postal service has a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of not only this suspect or suspects, but any one caught stealing mail.