Wave of mailbox thefts hits Thurston County, police say

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Washington police say there has been a surge in mailbox thefts across Thurston County.

The Olympian reports that Thurston County Sheriff's Office has received 150 online incident reports in the past two weeks. Police Sgt. Carla Carter says the thieves have broken into all types of mailboxes in no one specific area.

Police Sgt. Jamie Newcomb says cluster mailboxes in 10 different locations around Lacey were broken into this week. Olympia Police Lt. Paul Lower says his department received four reports of mail box theft this week so far.

Police recommend residents use the post office instead of leaving their outgoing mail in their mailboxes. They also encourage residents to keep reporting these crimes.