Hingham, MA – Two men were arrested overnight for allegedly stealing deposited mail out of the U.S. Post Office mailbox outside the Hingham Post Office.
On Friday, March 29, 2019 at 3:10am Sgt. Nicholas Smith was on patrol in Hingham Square when he saw two men walking away from a large drive up mailbox in the United States Post Office parking lot on North Street. As they walked away one man threw an object on the ground. The Sergeant then noticed a car parked on North Street in front of the post office with two people inside. He spoke with the driver who said he was picking up a friend in the area. They then drove away.
The Sergeant then looked at the object that had been thrown on the ground. It was a plastic bottle covered in a sticky substance with a boot shoelace tied around it. It appeared the men had been using the bottle to pull mail out of the large mailbox. Officers began to search for the two men and the car that had been parked nearby. A short distance away, on Main Street, the Sergeant saw the same car same driving toward him. The car stopped in middle of the road and the driver waved over to the Sergeant before he could pull it over.
The driver, who was alone in the front seat, said he was lost and needed directions to pick up his friend. Another man was seated alone in the back seat. Officers then saw a box of glue traps and a pile of mail in the back of the car. The mail appeared to be covered in a sticky substance. Also in the car were various gift cards, more glue traps and another matching boot lace. K9 Officer Ryan Ross and K9 Pedy began tracking from the Post Office mailbox and led through several streets before leading to the rear passenger door of the stopped car where the man was seated. Both men were arrested.
Arrested was Antoni Garcia Mota, age 22, of 27 Webster Street, Randolph, MA and a 17 year old man from Lowell, MA whose name is not being released because he is a juvenile. Both were charged with: 1) Breaking and Entering in the Nighttime for Felony 2) Receiving Stolen Property Over $1,200 3) Possession of a Burglarious Instrument. They were ordered held without bail overnight to be arraigned at Hingham District Court later in the day.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for the car and recovered additional pieces of mail. A Postal Service Inspector came to the police station and took possession of the recovered mail. The Postal Service will contact the senders of the recovered mail. The incident remains under investigation. ### Contact PIO Sgt. Steven Dearth