Trio Accused Of Mail Theft In Darien: Police

DARIEN, CT — Three suspects were arrested last week by Darien police in connection with an alleged case of mail theft, as the department continues to step up investigations into such crimes, according to officials.

Darien is one of several Fairfield County communities to be plagued by mail thefts in recent months, prompting a warning from the department for residents to closely monitor their bank accounts. In many cases, checks made out to various utility companies and other recipients have been stolen and altered, resulting in the victims losing thousands of dollars.

Last week's arrest occurred at about 3 a.m. on Jan. 31 on the Post Road near Old Kings Highway North, not far from the Darien Post Office on Corbin Drive where recent mail thefts have occurred.

The incident started when an officer patrolling near the Post Office saw some suspicious activity.

"The officer observed a black Toyota Corolla bearing New Jersey license plates driving extremely slowly on Corbin Drive," stated Darien Police Det. James Palmieri. "When the vehicle neared the marked police car, it stopped suddenly and put its blinker on. Given the large number of recent mail thefts, the suspicious operation of the vehicle, and the time of night, the Officer conducted an investigatory motor vehicle stop.

"The officer made contact with the operator, later identified as Jeramy Valdez. Also in the vehicle were two additional males, later identified as Carlos Artiles and Yimmy Javier. In plain sight on the rear seat the officer observed several unopened articles of mail with the return address of 'Stamford Superior Court.' It appeared that there were additional mail items that were being concealed with clothing in the back seat. When asked where they were going, the males stated they had been in Norwalk and were going home to Patterson, NJ. The officer noted that Corbin Drive is not a waypoint between those two locations.

"The officer asked the rear passenger to move the clothing on the back seat, at which time he observed a large quantity of unopened mail. At this point the occupants of the vehicle were removed and the vehicle searched. A large amount of unopened mail, as well as a crowbar and hammer, was located in the vehicle."

In total, 61 pieces of unopened mail were discovered in the vehicle, and police discovered that a blue mailbox at the Post Office on Heights Road in Darien had been damaged and forcibly entered. The three suspects were taken into custody.

Artiles, 27, of Patterson, NJ was charged with:

• Possession of Burglary Tools
• Larceny 6th Degree
• Criminal Mischief 1st Degree
• Criminal Trover 2nd Degree
• Conspiracy to Larceny 6th Degree

Valdez, 20, also of Patterson, was charged with:

• Possession of Burglary Tools
• Larceny 6th Degree
• Criminal Mischief 1st Degree
• Criminal Trover 2nd Degree
• Conspiracy to Larceny 6th Degree

And Javier, 18, of Redding, PA was charged with:

• Possession of Burglary Tools
• Larceny 6th Degree
• Criminal Mischief 1st Degree
• Criminal Trover 2nd Degree
• Conspiracy to Larceny 6th Degree

All three suspects were held in lieu of bail of $50,000 and are scheduled to appear in Stamford court at a later date.

Photo 1: Carlos Artiles; Photo 2: Jeramey Valdez; and Photo 3: Yimmy Javier. Photo credit: Darien Police Department

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