A 20-year-old woman from Sunrise was caught red-handed and arrested for allegedly burglarizing a mailbox cluster in Coconut Creek, while her suspected accomplice bolted, authorities said. Reports from the scene at Carambola Cir S described a suspicious man lurking behind a set of open mailboxes before he took off, leaving behind an SUV filled with pilfered post.
The woman, identified as Maria Weeks, was discovered by police officers hiding in the backseat of the nearby dark-colored SUV. Inside the vehicle, law enforcement found a large amount of stolen mail stashed in the trunk, as per NBC Miami. A loaded handgun was also reportedly uncovered inside the SUV.
Following the incident, Weeks was taken into custody, facing charges of burglary and grand theft, and was transported to the Broward County Jail. The search for the male suspect who fled the scene is currently ongoing. Details of the arrest were given in a tweet by the @CoconutCreekPD, which noted that the officers responded to the 4400 block of Carambola Cir S earlier in the morning to investigate a car burglary.
A mailbox burglar caught hiding in a SUV from the police is the basis for this @CoconutCreekPD #ArrestAlert. Earlier this morning, ofcs responded to the 4400 blk of Carambola Cir S to investigate a car burglary... pic.twitter.com/ssj5CqCWWy
— Coconut Creek Police Department (@CoconutCreekPD) December 21, 2023
While Weeks awaits the outcome of her charges, local residents are reminded to be vigilant with their personal information, especially during the holiday season when mailbox theft can lead to a spike in identity theft and financial fraud. The Coconut Creek police urges anyone with information about the outstanding suspect to come forward as they work to close the case.
