A man and two women were arraigned on charges Tuesday morning in connection with the theft of mail from the Blue Bell Post Office.
Investigators with the Whitpain Township Police Department said they’ve seen an increase in the theft of mail over the last five months from the Blue Bell Post Office, located along the 600 block of Township Line Road. Early Tuesday morning, they were again dispatched to the post office for a report of a theft in progress.
Police said a postal worker was retrieving something from his van in the parking lot at 1:18 a.m. when he heard the flap on the blue mail bin in the parking lot being shut. The worker told police he observed a male crouched down behind the mailbox, and when he yelled out to the male, they fled the scene on foot towards Penllyn Blue Bell Pike.
Responding officers said they observed a dark colored vehicle traveling at a slow rate of speed on Penllyn Blue Bell Pike with three occupants inside, and they subsequently initiated a traffic stop. The driver of the vehicle — identified as 19-year-old Angel Carrasco-Marinez, of Beaver Meadows — matched the description of the suspect provided by the postal worker, and police observed three crowbars and a backpack on the rear passenger floor in plain view, according to charging documents.
Two other passengers — 20-year-old Sophia Medrano and 19-year-old Elaine Urena-Popoter, both of Hazleton — were taken into custody following the stop, along with Carrasco-Marinez.
All three have been charged with one misdemeanor count of theft by unlawful taking. Carrasco-Marinez faces an additional misdemeanor charge of possessing an instrument of crime as well as a summary count of criminal mischief. They remain free on $10,000 unsecured bail.
Under 18 U.S. Code § 1708, the theft or receipt of stolen mail is a federal offense. It’s unclear at this time if federal charges will be filed, and we have reached out to Whitpain Township Police Chief Kenneth Lawson for additional information on the investigation.
We will add his comments once received.
A preliminary hearing for all three defendants has been scheduled for May 18 at 10 a.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Suzan Leonard.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
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