Police arrested a suspected thief after a resident observed the man stealing mail out of mailboxes on a north Morgan Hill residential street, according to authorities.
Morgan Hill police were dispatched to the 19000 block of Cheyenne Court on a report of a suspicious person about 3 a.m. Tuesday, according to an MHPD press release.
Officers contacted the suspect, Erik Gonzales, 36 of San Jose, on suspicion of possession of stolen mail and possession of a stolen vehicle, police said.
The resident who reported the crime told dispatch they saw Gonzales removing mail from mailboxes along the street and placing the items into an orange Mitsubishi convertible, police said.
When officers arrived to the neighborhood, they located the Mitsubishi which had paper dealership plates, according to the release. Police approached the vehicle and saw Gonzales sitting inside.
The car “was filled with stolen mail from nearby houses (and) in fact the vehicle he was sitting in was also stolen out of San Jose,” police said.
Gonzales was booked into Santa Clara County Jail, according to police.
Police gave credit to the resident who reported Gonzales’ suspicious behavior for helping to arrest the suspect.
Anyone with information about this case can contact Morgan Hill Police at (408) 779-2101 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867.
