St. Lucie County - Thursday June 23, 2022: St. Lucie County Sheriff Deputies have arrested two people accused of responsibility for a number of mail thefts that targeted elderly County residents.
This past Tuesday morning residents of the Spanish Lakes Country Club Village in Fort Pierce noticed a man walking in front of a silver sedan that was driving slowly down the road, stopping in front of several homes. “They were stopping at mailboxes that had flags up and an alert citizen in the community called 911," said St. Lucie County Sheriff Chief Deputy Brian Hester at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
VIEW the Sheriff's news conference HERE> https://fb.watch/dQwFZM3IqM/
Deputies responded, tracked down the vehicle, and arrested 33-year-old Sheryl Snyder of Vero Beach, and 31-year-old Emmett Dacey of Fort Pierce. Inside the silver sedan deputies recovered 11 different checks from 11 different mailboxes. The checks amounted to less than $3-thousand dollars.
“I don’t think this was their first time," said Chief Deputy Hester, "given the fact that he was walking beside the car, she was driving. That’s a little more thought out than just pulling up to the mailbox and flipping it open," he said. "And again, I think crimes like these are fueled by drugs. That’s evident in the fact that one of these individuals had trafficking amounts of fentanyl.”
Dacey and Snyder were charged with mail theft and Snyder faces additional charges of trafficking in fentanyl. When asked whether the pair were a couple, Chief Deputy Hester said "There a couple of thieves, is what they are," although the exact nature of their relationship is not yet known he said.
Sheriff Ken Mascara added that both are suspects in a number of mail theft cases last month, and there may be additional victims. “Today’s message is, if you do not do online banking, do not put that red flag up, sending that beacon to thieves ‘Here’s my mail, here’s my checks.’ Go ahead and take a little extra time drive your mail to the post office with the checks and do it that way," said the Sheriff.