Northern California authorities may have helped save the holidays for dozens of people by arresting two people who allegedly swiped more than 100 packages and letters from mailboxes.
Shortly before 2 a.m. Monday, a Butte County sheriff’s sergeant answered a report of a man possibly stealing mail in Durham, a tiny rural community north of Sacramento, authorities said Tuesday.
The sergeant spotted a car matching the description of the suspect and tried to catch the fleeing car but before he caught up, the driver apparently lost control and the car flipped over, according to a Sheriff’s Office statement.
Inside the car, authorities found “108 packages and envelopes addressed to approximately 56 people and 37 different addresses” along with methamphetamine, a wallet with pre-paid gift cards and hundreds of dollars in cash, the statement said.
The driver, Jeremy Blumlein, 41, of Chico, and his passenger, Breanna Maier, 26, of Magalia, weren’t injured.
Both were arrested on suspicion of identity theft, mail theft and probation violation while Blumlein also was held on suspicion of recklessly evading authorities and possessing a controlled substance, the Sheriff’s Office said.
It was not immediately clear whether they had attorneys to speak on their behalf.