Surprise neighborhood fed up with mail theft; the suspect filmed

SURPRISE, AZ (AZFamille) — People who live in the Kingswood Parke neighborhood of Surprise are fed up with a thief who keeps stealing their mail.

Several homeowners have security videos of what they say is the thief in action.

One of those owners is Roberta McDonald, who moved to Surprise three years ago.

“I moved here from Maine to get away from the snow and I definitely had the heat, it’s not a problem there,” McDonald said.

However, she has a problem with the person who won’t leave her neighbors’ mailboxes alone.

“This happens to a lot of people, and they get packages and mail stolen,” McDonald said.

In a neighborhood group chat that McDonald participates in, victims posted numerous comments about how they wanted the suspect arrested.

“This has been reported to the police. I don’t understand how she’s been doing this for at least a year, to my knowledge, and without being arrested,” McDonald said.

She said neighbors are turning to post office boxes and mailboxes requiring a lock and key to keep their mail secure.

McDonald said she was victimized last week while she was on vacation. Five days into her trip, she decided to check her phone’s security camera.

“Something told me to check my camera,” McDonald said.

His instincts were right. Surveillance video from last Friday showed a red SUV pulling up to his mailbox around 5 a.m. It shows a woman sitting in the driver’s seat, grabbing the mail before driving off.

“It’s just ridiculous. It’s frustrating. It’s upsetting,” McDonald said.

She said the woman left with her medication and possibly personal information. She fears her identity will also be stolen.

“Now I’m going to have to be more vigilant, and it’s scary,” McDonald said.

Last September, McDonald’s cameras appeared to film the same woman in the same vehicle going through her mailbox, but she left empty-handed.

Another neighbor shared his security footage from last month with Arizona’s family.

The video shows the same suspect going through his mailbox. A person sitting in the passenger seat is also spotted.

“I want this to stop, her and other people like her,” McDonald said. “I don’t know how many times she’s been in this neighborhood.”

Frustration forces McDonald to consider packing up and moving again.

“There’s going to be crime everywhere, but I shouldn’t have to worry about it in my own backyard,” she said.

Surprise Police said it appears the suspect was involved in several crimes in different cities.

Surprise officers work with other law enforcement agencies to find, arrest and charge the suspect with multiple offenses.

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