Shoreline mail thief caught after citizen call to 911

Suspect in the paddy wagon
Features deliberately
obscured
Photo courtesy SL Police

On Tuesday afternoon, October 22, 2019 Shoreline Deputy Cruze received a call about a suspicious vehicle hanging out around mailboxes in the 900 block of N 198th Street.

The vehicle was gone when he got there, but Deputy Cruze spoke to the witness and got a description of the vehicle and a license plate. 

Using that, and other witness information, Deputy Cruze canvassed the area and found the vehicle.

He conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. After some initial investigation and observations, Deputy Cruze observed a large amount of mail in the vehicle.

He ultimately found several hundred pieces of mail from throughout Shoreline and neighboring communities including identity documents and credit cards.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (U.S.P.S. law enforcement officers) was contacted and they agreed to investigate further. A suspect was identified and charges are pending based on the postal inspector investigation.

Photo: SL Police

Shoreline Police say "A big thanks goes out to our community member that alerted us to someone suspicious in their neighborhood!"

This is the same area where ballots and other pieces of mail were found in piles on the street.

Remember that all ballots have been mailed. If you do not have yours, either call the King county elections office or print off a ballot from the KC website. (see previous article)