NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A recent case was filed in federal court against two men for allegedly breaking into mailboxes in Newport News.
Keith Moore, a postal inspector with the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) filed the lawsuit against Sampson Jumbo and Jamal Shields, alleging that they have stolen mail from mailboxes in Newport News.
According to Moore, the USPIS has seen an increase in the theft of "arrow keys," large keys that serve as master keys that allow for wide access to mailboxes within a certain zip code. These keys are often sought by criminals to commit further crimes like check fraud and identity theft.
Moore noted a string of crimes in Newport News, starting on June 24. At 9:13 p.m., an Inspection Service GPS was stolen from a blue collection box located at the Patrick Henry Post Office in Newport News using a stolen arrow key. Moore made note of several other break-ins at that same collection box; around 2:30 a.m. on July 8, just after 2 a.m. on July 16, and after 2:30 a.m. on July 22.
In his claim, Moore said law enforcement intercepted the July 22 break-in, pursuing two suspects who tried to run away from the scene on foot and a third suspect who drove away in a Hyundai Santa Fe.
Law enforcement stopped one of the suspects on foot, Sampson Jumbo. Moore said Jumbo had a black backpack with stolen mail when he was apprehended.
Officers were able to pull over the driver of the Santa Fe several miles away along I-64. While driving away, the suspect threw mail out of the window, according to Moore. The driver, Jamal Shields, was arrested.
The other suspect who ran away on foot carjacked a vehicle further away from the scene. Officers were not able to arrest him.
Jumbo and Shields were both taken in for questioning. Both men are now facing federal charges of mail theft.