Man suspected in theft of mail

The thief stole the mail of hundreds of residents.
CANFIELD -- City police have obtained a warrant for the arrest of a 27-year-old East Liverpool man accused of stealing hundreds of pieces of mail from the Canfield branch of the U.S. Post Office.
Detective Andrew J. Bodzak said Robert Reed has been jailed in Columbiana County since Wednesday. He expects Canfield officers will serve the new warrant, charging him with theft, receiving stolen property and forgery, next week.
Bodzak said the department began receiving complaints from residents Nov. 1. The first report came from a woman who said she had mailed her daughter a credit card that the daughter never received. Several thousand dollars' worth of purchases had been charged to the account.
Bodzak said the suspect was first seen on video camera films from stores in Columbiana County where he had made purchases. Police could not immediately determine his identity. Bodzak said the identity was discovered Wednesday when officers found about 300 pieces of mail and checks at a location in East Palestine.
At least 100 affected: The thief stole the mail of at least 100 people, Bodzak said, all of whom had dropped it in a mail slot in the lobby of the Canfield post office. Investigators think he stole mail on at least 10 different occasions by reaching through the mail slot and grabbing mail from a postal bag. The theft had begun by the last week in October.
Police reports show that residents who suspect they had mail stolen had discovered the theft in various ways.
Many learned that their mail had never been received by creditors when they received past due notices on accounts.
Customers who used the Canfield post office and suspect their mail was stolen or is missing should call the police department at (330) 533-4903.