DELANO — Police have arrested a man they said was stealing mail in Delano on Tuesday morning.
Francisco Daniel Ceja, 32 of Delano, was booked into the Kern County Jail for one charge of receiving stolen property and one charge of possession of burglary tools. He is being held on $60,000 bail.
According to the Delano Police Department, the incident began at around 10 a.m. on February 2. when an officer observed a vehicle Ceja was driving, illegally parked within the alleyway near the 2200 Block of Norwalk Street in Delano.
After making contact with Ceja, it was discovered that he had two active warrants for his arrest.
The officer then searched Ceja and found him to be in possession of several pieces of U.S. Mail that was not addressed to him or his residence of record, as well as a homemade device resembling a master key that allows unlimited access to the community mailboxes owned by the U.S. Postal Service.
Ceja was arrested and detectives began an investigation , which included a search do Ceja’s residence in 1200 block of Lewis Street in Delano.
There defectives found another key which was determined to be illegally obtained and able to open numerous U.S. Postal Service community mailboxes and drop boxes within the City of Delano.
The U.S. Postal Service Inspections office in Bakersfield has assumed the investigation, and if found guilty, Ceja could face federal charges.
