Mailboxes opened, mail stolen from 60 houses in Dakota Co.

HAMPTON TOWNSHIP, Minn. (KMSP) - There's apparently a grinch in Dakota County. Sheriff’s deputies reported a rash of thefts this weekend in two communities. In all, roughly 60 people had either their mail stolen or their car burglarized.

“Christmas cards, anything that was handwritten out, addressed to the residents was specifically gone through,” said Capt. Pat Enderlein. “Obviously they were looking for things like cash, checks, gift cards.”

Some thefts were reported in Farmington, but most happened in a neighborhood in Hampton Township. Deputies began receiving reports there Saturday morning.

“Several of them had their mail boxes opened, mail had been gone through, ripped open, strewn about the streets, left out,” Enderlein said.

Approximately 60 mailboxes were gone through, Enderlein said. 

“I think it’s pretty sad. And I think it’s very immature of the person, said Sonya Flomo, who lives in Hampton Township. “We're all working. We're all struggling and we all want to have a good Christmas, so it's pretty sad.”

Enderlein recommends people to be diligent about checking their mail everyday, and take steps to secure their mail.

“One is getting a mailbox that could be secured, a locked mailbox that could be secured with a key,” Enderlein said. “That way the mail carrier can put the mail inside of it, and the homeowner has to go and unlock it to retrieve the mail.”

He also recommends making other arrangements for package delivery, especially if you're not going to be home.