Suspected Mail Thieves Busted in Palo Alto

Two people on probation have been arrested after Palo Alto police found bags of U.S. Mail addressed to residences and a business, personal checks stolen from a mailbox and burglary tools, police said today.

Shawn Michael McCourt, 28, and Julie Ann Scott, 37, both of Hayward, were booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of mail theft, possession of stolen property, possession of burglary tools and identity theft, Palo Alto police Lt. Zach Perron said.

At about 10:50 a.m. Sunday, an officer on patrol stopped a 1993 Ford Ranger for a traffic violation in the 400 block of Ramona Street in Palo Alto and discovered the female driver and male passenger were both on active probation for burglary and identity theft out of Alameda County, police said.

Officers, based on the suspects’ probation status, searched the Ford and recovered two bags containing letters and packages of U.S. Mail addressed to residences in Menlo Park, Redwood City, Emerald Hills, Woodside and Portola Valley and a business in Palo Alto, Perron said.

They also found several personal checks, with other people’s personal information on them, that had been removed from a mailbox in Walnut Creek in early August, according to police.

Police also recovered flashlights, a crowbar, a hammer, pliers and other suspected burglary tools, Perron said.

Investigators determined that the mail and packages were probably stolen within the previous 24 hours, likely from porches or curbside mailboxes, not from home burglaries, police said.

Police also booked Scott on suspicion of a probation violation and driving with a suspended license, Perron said.

-Bay City News