Alleged mail thief arrested two days into ACSO task forceFree Access


Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office Mail Theft Task Force arrest an alleged mail theft suspect Thursday morning after a high speed chase with the assistance of several law enforcement officers.

Two days into their Mail Theft Task Force, the Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office has arrested an alleged suspect Thursday morning after a high speed chase involving several law enforcement officers.

The task force was initiated yesterday after the ACSO has experienced several reports of alleged mail theft and tampering in rural mailboxes since early this year across the county.

“It first initiated in the Blackhill area and expanded into other parts of the county,” said Sheriff David Soward. “We have made several attempts to put extra deputies in these areas to catch suspects to no avail, so this week I formed a Mail Theft Task Force headed by Sergeant Gavin Lindsay.”

ACSO investigators placed cameras at several strategic locations at mailboxes known to be hit in the past. Early Thursday morning, investigators received photos from one of the cameras of an alleged suspect’s vehicle at a mailbox.

“Several of my officers knew the suspect really well and put them under surveillance at their residence,” said Sheriff Soward. “Eventually the suspect left their residence and took off in a German sports car at speeds of over 100 miles an hour.”

ACSO responding deputies were told to cut back on their speeds for the safety of surrounding traffic and citizens at which point the suspect got away into Pleasanton on FM 3350.

About 30 minutes later, Sheriff Soward spotted the suspect heading westbound on Goodwin Street leaving Pleasanton. ACSO officers attempted to converge with the suspect who took off on Northbound Hwy. 16 toward Poteet.

DPS troopers attempted to stop the suspect with the use of spikes, but the suspect went around them. Sheriff Soward stated that the suspect eventually pulled over and stopped on the side of road after realizing they weren’t going to get away. The suspect allegedly told ACSO deputies, “You got me, I’m the one who’s been stealing the mail.”

ACSO deputies also allegedly found stolen mail and checks in the suspect’s vehicle. The suspect was taken to the ACSO Jail where they will be charged with multiple offenses. Sheriff Soward stated that more details regarding the charges and suspect’s name will be released later this week.

This is a developing story and the Pleasanton Express will update it as more information becomes available.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *