Couple Allegedly Caught With 'Significant Amount' Of Stolen Mail
By Tom Mustin
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (CBS4) - Two Castle Rock residents have been arrested after allegedly stealing from mailboxes across Douglas County.
Castle Rock resident Jessica Stafford is breathed a sigh of relief after the arrests.
"It's terrifying because that's my name," she told CBS4's Tom Mustin.
Michael McDaniel, 41, and his wife, Danielle McDaniel, 35, were arrested last week. The couple is accused of breaking into the mailboxes and stealing credit cards, gift cards, cash, and credit card applications. Stafford said she is one of the victims.
"They know my medical stuff and everything. We have checks coming in the mail and it's very concerning," Stafford said.
Stafford lives in the Links at Plum Creek apartments. A month ago she realized her uncle had not received a letter she had sent. She had also just had surgery and was expecting important medical information in the mail.
"I also had not received a letter from my doctor that I was waiting on for quite a while."
She realized something was wrong. Her apartment manager confirmed her fears.
"The management posted a letter on our door saying the mailboxes had been broken into."
Resident Doug Johnston read the letter and realized thieves may have stolen a check sent by his grandmother.
"She sent a birthday card right about the time the mail was getting stolen, and we never got that," Johnston said.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office arrested the couple after working with the Castle Rock Police Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, and the U.S. Postal Service.
Deputies haven't discussed how they caught the suspects, or how much mail was stolen, but they do say the McDaniels were caught with a "significant amount" of stolen pieces.
As the McDaniels await their day in court, Stafford says the people accused of stealing mail and affecting so many lives deserve to be punished.
"Stealing people's mail is a very personal thing to do, and when you do, you belong behind bars for a while," she said.
Michael McDaniel is facing charges of criminal possession of a financial transaction device. Danielle McDaniel was arrested on suspicion of unlawful possession of a controlled substance.
The sheriff's office says there may be more victms, and additional charges against the suspects may be filed.
Anyone with more information in the case is asked to call Detective Chad Walker with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office at (303) 814-7007.
Tom Mustin is CBS4's Weekend Anchor. He has been with CBS4 since 2002, and is always looking for great story ideas. Connect with Tom on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @TomCBS4.
