Man arrested in mail theft
A Santa Barbara man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of mail theft and numerous other theft-related charges.
MONTECITO — A Santa Barbara man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of mail theft and numerous other theft-related charges, authorities said.
Juan Carlos Coronado-Mendoza, 31, was arrested on suspicion of felony unlawful possession of tear gas and four warrants for charges including violation of probation, making fictitious checks, using ID with intent to defraud, forgery, burglary, credit card fraud and mail theft, said Raquel Zick, spokeswoman for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
He will be released without bail pursuant to the local court’s extension of Emergency Rule 4.
On Dec. 20, a victim of mail theft filed an online report for several packages that had been taken from their community mailbox cluster in the area of Canyon View and Sycamore Vista roads in Montecito. The same victim contacted the Sheriff’s Office in January reporting more stolen mail, but also had video surveillance of the suspect.
A Sheriff’s deputy, Santa Barbara Police detectives, custody deputies and sheriff’s detectives investigated the mail theft and identified the subject as Mr. Coronado-Mendoza. The deputy authored a warrant for his arrest and for the search of his home in the 1200 block of Liberty Street in Santa Barbara.
Santa Barbara Police also authored warrants for him on several fraud-related crimes.
During a search of the residence, dozens of pieces of suspected stolen mail were recovered, with addresses ranging from the Santa Ynez Valley to Oxnard, Ms. Zick said.
Sheriff’s deputies will continue to follow up on the case, including contacting potential victims identified by seized evidence. The Sheriff’s Office offered tips to prevent package theft as well as theft of mail used for fraud.
The tips include: setting up electronic billing; considering going paperless; considering using a post office box for all important mail; opting out of credit card offers by visiting optoutprescreen.com; signing up for delivery notifications from the U.S. Postal Services; installing a locking mailbox; and/or considering collaborating with neighbors to set up a locking group or cluster mailbox.
— Grayce McCormick
Victim of fatal crash identified
LOMPOC — The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department’s Coroner’s Bureau has identified the man who was killed in a single-vehicle rollover crash last week as 33-year-old Adalberto Zamora, of Lompoc.
The crash occurred Thursday afternoon in the 4700 block of Harris Grade Road north of Rucker Road in the unincorporated area of Santa Barbara County. The vehicle was found on its roof. Mr. Zamora died at the scene, authorities said.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the crash.
— Mitchell White
