Summerlin residents report mail thefts after postal worker tased, robbed

Residents of a Summerlin ZIP code are at higher risk of mail theft after a postal worker was shocked with a Taser and robbed of her mailbox keys.

But there’s no indication of when community mailbox locks will be changed, and the suspect remains at large, with a reward of up to $150,000 available for information that leads to his capture and conviction.

In recent months, several northwest valley residents have taken to the hyperlocal social networking Nextdoor app, reporting anecdotes about stolen mail, along with photos and video of community mailboxes left open, after a letter carrier was robbed along a Summerlin route.

New electronic locks are being installed on mailboxes nationwide after a rise in crimes against mail carriers, but the so-called smart locks and keys have yet to reach Las Vegas, U.S. Postal Service officials said.

The 55-year-old Las Vegas letter carrier had been struck with a pen Taser in the 10000 block of Moon Flower Arbor Place during afternoon deliveries on Nov. 14, according to the Postal Inspection Service and a Metropolitan Police Department incident report.

The robber, who escaped with two physical keys that access community mailboxes in the area, had not been apprehended as of Friday, authorities said.

The letter carrier’s route included the 89144 ZIP code, which covers parts of the west Las Vegas Valley north of Charleston Boulevard up to Summerlin Parkway.

“Homes within that ZIP code could potentially be victims,” Postal Inspector Trevor Hudson wrote in a Friday email. “The Inspection Service is working hard to identify and arrest the suspect.”

Reward for information tripled

Hudson said inspectors had not seen a significant increase in thefts since the robbery, but he said that could be the result of some victims reporting to the Metropolitan Police Department rather than the postal service.

The U.S Postal Inspection Service handles cases of mail theft, and police reports are forwarded to postal inspectors for investigation.

Rod Spurgeon, a Postal Service spokesperson, said mailbox keys are assigned by route and not ZIP code.

“Carriers will have the appropriate accessories for their specific route and access points,” Spurgeon said in an email.

The Summerlin letter carrier had been approached on her route by a man who Hudson described as being in his early 30s, around 5 feet, 6 inches tall, about 170 pounds, wearing a black face mask and black baseball cap.

He asked the letter carrier for change-of-address documents, according to a report. She handed him the paperwork and turned her back on him to continue working before she felt a shock on her leg and fell down.

“As far as we know, the suspect was alone,” Hudson wrote. “It is my understanding that the employee was tased by a small pen taser.”

The man then demanded the worker’s keys, pulling them from her hand, according to Hudson.

The mail carrier did not need medical treatment and returned to work the next day.

Officials declined to say how many mailboxes could be accessed with the stolen keys.

In one video posted on Nextdoor from the 89144 ZIP code, a man appears to open an entire community mailbox, remove a package and drop it into a white sedan before driving away.

Anyone with information can call the Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455 and reference case number 4190523.

The Postal Service recently increased its reward for information on crimes against postal employees to $150,000 from $50,000.

Late last year, in response to a nationwide increase in letter carrier robberies, the postal service announced that it would replace more than 6,500 Arrow locks with electronic locks in select cities. Another 42,500 electronic locks are expected to be deployed nationwide.

That includes the Las Vegas area, according to Postal Service spokesman Albert Ruiz, who said that “for security reasons” he could not disclose specific locations, when the electronic locks would be installed or details on how the locks work and how many would be replaced.

Legislative response

U.S. Rep. Susie Lee represents the area where the postal worker was robbed. Her office said it has received several inquiries in the last few months from constituents asking for help with mailboxes that had been broken into and damaged.

Her office has expedited replacements for the damaged mailboxes.

“Mail theft leads to broken mailboxes, frustrated families, and stolen property,” Lee said in a statement. “I’ve worked with families and the USPS to fix and replace mailboxes across Southern Nevada and get to the bottom of mail theft.”

Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen cosponsored a bill introduced last year titled the Postal Police Reform Act.

“I’ve heard from Nevadans about a concerning increase in mail theft and violence against letter carriers,” Cortez Masto said in a statement. “That’s why I’m working to pass bipartisan legislation to expand Postal Police Officers’ jurisdiction and make sure postal workers can continue to safely deliver the prescriptions, checks, and other necessities Nevadans rely on.”

If passed, the law would allow Postal Service police officers to work off Postal Service property to protect letter carriers on their routes, addressing a change made by the Postal Service in 2020.

“The increase in mail theft is affecting Nevadans all across our state who are having their mail, packages, and even life-saving VA medication stolen,” Rosen said in a statement.

Contact David Wilson at dwilson@reviewjournal.com.