2 Investigators: Home Owner Thinks Post Office Tipped Off Burglars She Was Gone
(CBS) – A south suburban woman comes home from vacation and finds her house is ransacked. Now, she's pointing her finger at the mail carrier.
Pam Zekman investigates.
"I looked at the house, I say wow, what a nightmare this is," Karen Simon says.
Her Blue Island home was burglarized while she was on vacation in Las Vegas during the holidays.
The burglars ransacked her home and stole some jewelry and electronics. Simon estimates the damage to her property and loss of items total about $5,500.
The burglars stole a newly purchased TV and left Simon with an empty box.
"I could beat the crap out of them," Simon says. "I'm going to be honest with you, somebody has to pay for this."
While Simon was on vacation she had put a hold on her mail. When she checked her mail box she was shocked to find stickers on each of her boxes. They indicated, among other things, "vacant" and "no mail delivery."
The 2 Investigators went looking for the letter carrier at the Blue Island post office and found her supervisor. The supervisor declined comment.
Postal officials admit Simon's letter carrier put those notes on her mailbox, but say it was an isolated incident that will be used as a "teachable moment."
Simon says she believes there is a direct connection between the notes on the her mail box and the break-in.
"This is what caused the break-in," Simon said.
Shimon Mery, owner of Nonstop Locksmith in Chicago, is a former Israeli soldier who now runs a locksmith and security firm in Chicago.
"For someone that's looking for a place to break in, that will be an invitation," he says of the tags on the mailboxes.
Simon says she feels like she has lost much more than just property in the burglary.
"I felt like I was violated, all because of a little sticky that was attached to my mailbox," she says.
Postal officials say the letter carrier in question will not be disciplined. The Blue Island Police Department is investigating the break-in, and Simon is in the process of filing a damage claim with the post office.