Stolen Montecito Mail Littered Around Painted Cave

By an edhat reader

Dear Montecito residents,

If you live on Las Canoas, School House Rd, Mission Canyon, Holly Rd., Toro Canyon, E. Valley Rd, Mt. Calvary, Jesusita Ln, Schulte Ln, Hot Springs Rd, Las Alturas, Alisal Rd,  or anywhere in the Montecito area – please know that your mail is being stolen.  We know because we, in Painted Cave, keep finding your mail.

Community members have been diligently checking the hillsides of Painted Cave Rd. and using ropes, been scrambling down the mountain to retrieve your’s and our mail. Initially, we contacted the Sheriff’s Department but were informed that they would not come up to retrieve the mail, so we did.  We were told that if anyone was ‘missing mail’ to contact them.

Your Montecito mail was taken to the San Roque Post Office to be…. re-distributed?

The first mail dump was on Nov. 24. There have been 4 more since then.  We’re talking about thousands of pieces of mail. After the second dump, a call was made to the USPS investigation department, and they picked up your mail ‘as evidence’ from the San Roque station. There was another dump a few days later, on the Dec. 28th.

Today we found four more dumps, one from about 2 weeks ago that was nothing but ripped open Christmas cards.  The rest was from last night, as all of the Painted Cave mail boxes were found open this morning, and our mail was mixed in with the Montecito mail.  Please know, that checks, credit card statements, bank statements, utility bills, jury summons, insurance claim paperwork, traffic tickets from New Orleans all seem to be intact.

Your outgoing mail to the IRS, to utility companies, also seem to be intact, but not processed, so it came straight from your mailbox and never made it to the Post Office. We don’t know what the process is for them to ‘hold your mail’ as evidence, especially if it is time sensitive.

Deputy Hampton, from the SB Sheriff’s Department, was who I was directed to told me that anyone who is ‘missing mail’ should contact him through the Sheriff’s non-emergency number – 681-4100.

Sincerely,
Your neighbors from Painted Cave