Bellevue Police Recover Cache Of Stolen Mail, Arrest Suspect

BELLEVUE, WA — The Bellevue Police Department caught a "prolific mail thief," thanks to a resident who reported suspicious activity, officials said Friday. The department said it was Bellevue's second mail theft arrest in as many days.

According to police, a woman called 911 around 4 a.m. Friday, telling dispatchers that someone in a loud, white muscle car was attempting to steal her mail near Southeast 60th Street and Forest Drive Southeast.

Officers searched the area and spotted a vehicle matching the description, with no license plates, as it made an illegal turn, police said. The officer pulled over the vehicle and noticed a pile of mail hidden under a coat as he asked the driver for identification. Police said the driver, a 25-year-old Renton resident, had a suspended license and was arrested. Police said the suspect allowed officers to search the car, where they ultimately found 368 pieces of stolen mail.

According to the officers, the mail was addressed to residents in Bellevue, Renton, Seattle and Federal Way. Other recovered items included someone else's Washington driver's license and stolen credit cards, police said. The suspect, who was not identified Friday, was booked into jail on suspicion of mail theft and driving with a suspended license.

Police said the stolen parcels would be delivered to the United States Postal Inspection Service and returned to the owners.