Santa Barbara woman uses AirTag to help deputies catch alleged mail thieves

A Santa Barbara woman took her mail theft problems into her own hands and used an AirTag locator to help catch the alleged thieves. 

Monday morning, a woman called the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office to report a mail theft from the Los Alamos Post Office. 

Deputies learned that the woman had items stolen from her post office box recently, so she mailed herself a package with an AirTag locator that she had bought, hoping to catch the thieves red-handed.  

Her plan worked when her mail was stolen again. Deputies used the AirTag locator information to home in on the suspects. 

According to the Sheriff's Office, the suspects were found in Santa Maria with the victim's mail, including the package with the AirTag as well as items believed to be stolen from over a dozen additional victims. 

The suspects are Virginia Franchessca Lara, 27, from Santa Maria and Donald Ashton Terry, 37, from Riverside.   

Lara was booked for felonies including possession of checks with intent to commit fraud, fictitious checks, identity theft, credit card theft and conspiracy. She is being held on $50,000 bail.  

Terry was booked for felonies including burglary, possession of checks with intent to commit fraud, credit card theft, identity theft, and conspiracy. He was also booked on several theft related warrants from Riverside County. He is being held on $460,000 bail.