Man found collecting discarded mail at post office

WASILLA -- Wasilla police officers were called after postal employees heard suspicious rumblings in the lobby, but no charges have been filed in the case.

Wasilla post-office workers called police early Friday morning to report that someone in the lobby was rummaging through the trash.

Wasilla Police went to the post office at 2:38 a.m. and found a 41-year-old man going through the trash. According to police reports, he was in possession of hundreds of pieces of unsecured or discarded mail.

The post office lobby is kept open to the public at night, said Wasilla Police Lt. Craig Robinson. Apparently the man was using that time to go through the trash cans in the lobby.

When questioned, the man said he obtained the mail from post office trash cans. Among the items were various advertisements, a large portion being pre-approved credit card offers issued to others, as well as other mail containing personal information.

Police reportedly noticed a single vehicle parked in the lot when they responded to the post office. The man was not the registered owner and denied being connected to the vehicle, which also contained a large assortment of other people's mail.

Police requested that the postal employees reclaim the mail. Postal inspectors were notified and given information so they could begin to conduct further investigation.

The man police contacted has not yet been charged with any crime. Typically, Robinson said, the postal inspector conducts his or her own investigation and recommends charges if they find sufficient grounds.

Robinson reminded the public to destroy any mail containing credit card offers or other personal information to prevent being victimized.