MILL CREEK — The U.S. Postal Service is replacing mailbox locks in the Mill Creek area after a carrier’s master key was stolen two weeks ago.
With the key, the thieves potentially could open thousands of locked mailboxes — the kind shared within apartment complexes or neighborhoods.
The final replacement locks have been ordered and should arrive in the coming days, Postal Service spokesman Ernie Swanson said. Swanson stressed that blue mail collection bins can’t be opened with the stolen key.
An investigation also is ongoing by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Mill Creek Police Department and the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
The theft was reported Oct. 18. Two women approached the carrier and created a distraction to swipe the key, Postal Inspector Jeremy Leder said. They apparently had a man acting as a getaway driver.
As of Monday, investigators believe they have identified at least one of the women, Leder said. They still are working on identifying the other suspects. The trio could face felony charges in federal court, he said. In addition to theft, improper possession of a postal key is a crime, he said.
“That’s a huge thing to have those keys stolen,” he said. “They can open such a wide range of mailboxes.”
Mill Creek police also issued a news bulletin after the theft, saying they were receiving reports of stolen mail.
Until the locks are replaced, people should be vigilant about checking their mail, especially before nightfall, city spokeswoman Kelly Chelin said. Outgoing mail should be taken to the post office or another secured location. Suspicious activity around mailboxes should be reported to 911, she said.
Some neighbors say they never received formal notice their mailboxes could be compromised. Sean Burnett lives just outside of town and found out by browsing the city website, he said. He made a couple of phone calls to find out more information. He said he was told it might be awhile, but he’d get a call when the lock problem was resolved.
As of Monday afternoon, he had not received that call.
As for notification for people who use his shared mailbox, he took care of that.
“I typed one out so my neighbors would have an idea what was going on,” he said.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @rikkiking.
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