Yuba sheriff’s deputy arrests three suspected of burglarizing Plumas Lake mailboxes
A patrol deputy earlier this week arrested three Oroville men suspected of identity theft after they were found with dozen of items stolen from neighborhood mailboxes burglarized overnight in the Plumas Lake area, Yuba county sheriff’s officials said.
The patrol deputy first spotted the three suspects about 5:30 a.m. Monday in the 1700 block of Stinson Way in Plumas Lake. The men were in a red 2008 Nissan Altima. The car’s driver told the deputy what they were doing in the area, which sounded suspicious to the deputy, according to a news release from the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office.
During an inventory search of the car before it was impounded, authorities found dozens of items of suspected stolen property in the Nissan, sheriff’s officials said. The items were later confirmed stolen from several cluster mailboxes throughout the Plumas Lake community.
Joshua Collins, 33, Sean Smiley, 26, and Samuel Smiley, 30, were in the red Nissan. Sheriff’s officials said the three men were arrested on suspicion of burglary, possession of stolen property and identity theft. Additionally, there was a Butte County arrest warrant for Collins on suspicion of violating parole.
The Sheriff’s Office’s investigation of the mailbox burglary continues as deputies look to contact victims and confirm ownership of the stolen property found in the car. Sheriff’s officials also have reported the mail theft to U.S. postal inspectors.
Investigators asked anyone with further information about these mail thefts to call the Sheriff’s Office at 530-749-7777.
