Pair Of Thieves Steal Checks From SW OKC Mailbox

Oklahoma City Police are warning citizens to be alert after a pair of thieves stole checks right out of a mailbox. Now, the victim's identity has been stolen.

It is a federal offense to steal from a mailbox, but the victim is learning the hard way that some criminals just do not care. She plans to bring her checks to the post office in the future.

Dana Cline and her husband were spending a Saturday at home when she decided to send off two checks to pay some bills. They were putting up Christmas decorations outside and doing yard work, so Cline thought her mail would be safe.

“I guess in the time period that we had come in and out is the time that they came to the mailbox,” she said.

Cline did not realize what happened until the next day, when her check was cashed at a Walmart in Shawnee for a different amount than she had written, so she and her husband checked their security cameras. She saw what looked to be an older model dark blue pickup truck pull up to her house.

She said, “There was a male driver, and a female reached into the mailbox just that quick and got the mail and was gone. Two minutes later, our mail truck came.”

Cline immediately went to the bank to close her accounts.

“I had to get all those changed and it’s just been a big hassle,” she said.

Somehow, though, the thieves are still using her old account and routing numbers to make purchases.

Police advise citizens not to leave any valuable mail outside, especially around the holidays when package thefts are more common, and Cline agrees.

She told News 9, “I would suggest you don’t put mail out there period, and do not put your flag up.”

She is telling her story in hopes that others do not fall victim.

“It’s just a shame that we can’t do anything or trust people anymore,” she said.

The post master general can choose to prosecute those thieves for stealing from a mailbox, but right now they are facing grand larceny charges in Oklahoma City. If you recognize the truck in the video, call Crime Stoppers at (405) 235-7300.