Palos Heights police bust mail theft ring

Buttron

3 arrested for allegedly stealing mail in Palos Heights, Palos Park

By Jeff Vorva

The good news is that lost mail involving residents of Palos Park and Palos Heights has been found.

The bad news is that it may be a while before they get that mail back.

Three people were arrested for their alleged roles in stealing mail in December and January, according to Palos Heights police.

Kelly Roth, of Palos Heights, was charged Feb. 23 with one felony count of continuing crimes enterprise and aggravated identity theft.  She was set to appear at the Bridgeview Courthouse on Feb. 26 for her initial appearance.

Ryan Scanlan, 29, of Chicago Ridge, was charged with one felony count of continuing crimes enterprise

Roth

and aggravated identity theft. He also was set to appear at the Bridgeview Courthouse on Feb. 26 for his initial appearance.

Franklin Buttron, 38, of Worth, was charged with one felony count of continuing crimes enterprise and aggravated identity theft. He, too, was set to appear at the Bridgeview Courthouse on Feb. 26 for his initial appearance.

The Palos Heights Police Department responded to numerous incidents of mail being removed from mailboxes around town.

A suspect was identified during an arrest made by Crestwood police on Jan. 25, which led to the identification of a group of individuals involved in an organized crime spree, police said.

Using information from the stolen mail, they would then steal the identities of the victims to forge checks

and deposit them at various banking institutions.  Many victims’ debit/credit cards were also used to

Scanlan

make purchases at multiple retail stores, police said.

On the morning of January 30, two suspects were taken into custody and several search warrants were executed on vehicles and residences.  A large amount of stolen mail was recovered, and numerous alleged victims were identified.

On Feb. 1, the third suspect was taken into custody at her residence in Palos Heights.  A search warrant was executed on her residence and, again, a large amount of stolen mail was recovered, and the alleged victims identified.

Police said that all three subjects confessed to their parts in the crimes and were released without charges, pending further evidence.  Video and other evidence was collected, and the investigation was completed.

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Special Prosecution Office was contacted and presented with the facts of the case, police said.   On February 23, the subjects were each charged with more charges expected to follow.

Palos Park police have joined the investigation and are notifying residents that the mail has been found. But there is a snag, according to Palos Park Police Commissioner Dan Polk.

“It’s still under investigation,” Polk said. “So, the undelivered mail is being held for investigation. It doesn’t sound like the post office has released the evidence. We’re sort of in a holding pattern, here.”