Mail theft victim’s clever AirTag trap leads to arrest of 2 Central Coast suspects
A tracking device helped Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies locate packages missing from the Los Alamos Post Office and arrest two mail theft suspects.
On Monday at approximately 7:17 a.m., deputies responded to a report of stolen mail at the Los Alamos Post Office.
“When they arrived, deputies learned that the victim had items stolen from her post office box recently, so she mailed herself a package that included an AirTag locator device,” said Raquel Zick, Sheriff’s Office public information officer.
“Her mail was again stolen on Monday morning, including the package with the AirTag that she was able to track,” Zick added. “It is important to note that the victim did not attempt to contact the suspects on her own.”
Deputies located the suspects in the 600 block of East Sunrise Drive in Santa Maria.
In addition to possessing the victim’s mail, including the package with the AirTag, deputies discovered items believed to be stolen from over a dozen additional victims, Zick said.
“The Sheriff’s Office would like to commend the victim for her proactive solution, while highlighting that she also exercised appropriate caution by contacting law enforcement to safely and successfully apprehend the suspects.”
Arrested were Virginia Franchessca Lara, 27, of Santa Maria and Donald Ashton Terry, 37, of Riverside.
Lara was booked at the Northern Branch Jail on suspicion of possessing checks with intent to commit fraud, fictitious checks, identity theft, credit card theft and conspiracy. She is being held on $50,000 bail.
Terry was booked at the Northern Branch Jail on suspicion of burglary, possession of checks with intent to commit fraud, credit card theft, identity theft, and conspiracy.
He was also booked on several theft-related warrants from Riverside County. He is being held on $460,000 bail.
Deputies are continuing work on this case including contacting additional victims, Zick added.
This story was originally published August 22, 2024 at 11:30 AM with the headline "Mail theft victim’s clever AirTag trap leads to arrest of 2 Central Coast suspects."