Busted: Suspected thieves targeting Lincoln County rural mail

Lincoln County sheriff deputies booked two people into jail last night (Feb. 11) after a very precise caller alerted them to what appeared to be ongoing theft from rural mailboxes.

Three deputies responded to the area north of Davenport about 7 p.m., taking different roads to prevent the suspect from getting away, Sheriff Wade Magers reported in a press release Wednesday.

Deputies Kurt Cuzzetto, Gabe Gants, and Jerad McLagan responded to the area. Cuzzetto found the vehicle, accurately described by the caller, on State Route 25 and followed it onto Harker Canyon Road, where the suspects appeared to him to be attempting to elude the deputies, Magers said.

Two suspects were booked into Lincoln County Jail: Karalynn Solis, 35 and and Leora Guery, 36.

The vehicle was towed to the sheriff's office, where Gants and McLagan executed a search warrant and found hundreds of pieces of mail from various locations from throughout the state, including mail from Yakima, Warden, Tri-Cities, Grand Coulee and Lincoln County, Magers reported.

The stolen mail includes tax forms, drivers licenses, credit cards, and other personal mail.

Deputies also found what they believe are felony narcotics, which will be sent to the crime lab for testing.

All cases impact victims, Magers said, "but these types of cases can cause significant personal impact to victims for an extended period of time. Potential stolen tax information, gift cards, drivers licenses, credit cards and other items that potentially lead to identity theft, which can create havoc for years."

"I was very impressed with the reporting party, who did a great job of identifying the vehicle and suspects and kept dispatch notified step by step," Magers said. "Deputies Cuzzetto, Gants and McLagan worked as a team to assure that the area was saturated with patrol cars to make sure the subjects did not escape on a county road. This is one reason why our team is so effective and efficient.

"Jail Superintendent Lyle Hendrickson took the call from a concerned citizen who was remarkable by being involved and notifying our office," Magers continued. "The call was dispatched to area units and everyone worked together quickly and professionally to make the arrest."

Magers said deputies on Wednesday were "very busy doing reports, additional search warrants, notifying other jurisdictions, and processing mounds of evidence."

He said they would be working on the case for several days.