-Two Americans facing charges following alleged mail box thefts-

OSOYOOS TIMES-April 16, 2008-

By Chad IngramrnOsoyoos Times

Two more people have been arrested in relation to mail thefts in the Osoyoos area.
Local RCMP are recommending a variety of charges against an American woman and man after what turned into a car chase on the evening of April 11.
Cpl. Mike Field of the Oliver RCMP said that at about 2 p.m., a postal employee reported seeing a mailbox theft in progress on Leighton Crescent, just north of Oliver.
Field said the employee gave police a description of the vehicle and licence plate and reported seeing three occupants in the car, a sea green 1996 Chrysler Intrepid.
Just after 7 p.m. that evening, Field said a member of the South East District Traffic Service, travelling in an unmarked car, spotted what appeared to be the suspect vehicle on Osoyoos's Main Street.
Field said the member ran the licence plate through an onboard computer, which reported the vehicle as being stolen out of Surrey.
The member pulled the car over and was awaiting the backup of a marked police car when the Intrepid took off eastbound on Hwy. 3, Field said.
He said one of the occupants was throwing mail out the window as the car climbed Anarchist Mountain.
Field said a car chase ensued with the suspects eventually turning off Hwy. 3 and onto Mt. Baldy Road.
The chase ended when the suspects drove over a spike belt laid down by RCMP on Camp McKinney Road, Field said.
He said three people were taken into custody, including an American woman born in 1974 and living in Osoyoos, an American man born in 1973 living in Greenwood and a Penticton woman born in 1989.
Field said the American woman is wanted on nationwide arrest warrants in the U.S. for fraud, forgery and flight from police.
She was also scheduled to appear in a Vancouver courtroom on April 15 for an immigration warrant, he said.
RCMP are recommending the woman receive one charge of theft over $5,000 for the theft of the vehicle, one charge of theft under $5,000 for the licence plates, four charges of mail theft and one charge of fleeing police.
Field said the same charges are being recommended against the American man, but with one count of resisting arrest in place of the flight from police charge.
He said pieces of mail in the suspects' possession provided links not only to the Leighton Crescent mailbox theft, but also to mailbox thefts near Gallagher Lake on April 10 and on Anarchist Mountain as well.
The American suspects were being held in custody until a Penticton court appearance, Field said.
He said a charge of mail theft can carry a prison sentence of up to ten years, although he added this almost never happens.
The Penticton woman was released without charge.
These are the latest in a series of arrests related to mail theft.
On April 2, RCMP arrested 26-year-old Osoyoos resident Aaron Moore.
Roughly 50 pieces of other people's mail were allegedly found in his possession.
We do believe they have a loose association but haven't made a direct connection, Field said.
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