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Postal inspectors investigate theft of large mailbox in Las Vegas

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is investigating after a large community mailbox was stolen from a southeast Las Vegas Valley neighborhood.

The theft of the large mailbox, containing mail meant for multiple households, happened early Wednesday near Wigwam Avenue and Spencer Street, according to Postal Inspector Trevor Hudson. He said the agency has no leads on who may have stolen the mailbox, but it is warning people in the area to watch for signs of identify theft.

Hudson said it’s rare for someone to take an entire community mailbox, but not unheard of.

“It only happens a handful of times throughout the year; it’s not too often,” he said.

He said the Inspection Service is handing out cards in the neighborhood to alert people they may have been the victims of mail theft.

“Those are the best leads we get from that kind of stuff,” he said.

Most of the time, people stealing mail will just pry open individual mailboxes. To avoid mail theft, people should check their mail daily and not leave anything inside the box overnight, he said.

If caught, whoever stole the large mailbox in the southeast valley could be charged with a felony and face up to five years in prison, Hudson said.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.

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