COLUMBUS, Ohio — A 63-year old mail carrier from Columbus told police on Thursday that someone pointed a gun into his back, demanding his mail keys while he was working in south Columbus.
Police say surveillance video from a neighbor's home captured the suspect following the mail carrier, but the alleged crime happened just outside the view of the camera.
Now, officers at the Columbus Division of Police are hoping someone will tell them who the suspect is.
According to police, the crime happened at 3 p.m. on Thursday at the intersection of Beck and City Park Avenue in Columbus' German Village neighborhood.
“The victim stated he was outside of his mail truck when he felt a gun to his back and heard someone state, 'the keys, come on, give me the keys.' At that point the victim gave the suspect the keychain that had numerous USPS keys.”
The victim was not hurt in the robbery, police say.
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It’s not the first time a mail theft has happened in this neighborhood.
Kim Lewis works at a German Village law office.
She said she no longer mails client checks in the blue box outside because it isn’t safe.
“Somehow they are getting the mail out of the box and they are cashing checks,” she said.
She showed 10TV's Kevin Landers copies of forged checks totaling thousands of dollars.
She said she has filed a police report and sent emails to USPS multiple times, telling them of the problem.
Since her mail theft, she said the postal blue box outside her office got a new lock but does not have confidence that it will keep out thieves.
“I just can’t believe this is happening,” she said.
10TV reached out to the post office for comment but did not hear back.
In November, 10TV exposed the issue of mail thefts and how the scam works. Thieves will steal mail from either a mailbox outside someone's home or a blue collection bin. Checks found inside the envelopes are "washed" — meaning the ink is erased — so the amount and recipient can be replaced. Those blank checks are then sold online.