3 arrested in connection mail thefts in Reedley, Madera

REEDLEY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Three people are in jail after a mail theft investigation that spanned multiple Valley cities.

One of the crimes was caught on camera.

Reedley police say they got a call early Wednesday morning that mailboxes had been broken into on Kip Patrick Avenue.

Less than 30 minutes later, a second call went out that suspects were breaking into more mailboxes nearby.

Police soon pulled over a car matching the suspect's vehicle description.

They say 32-year-old Alberto Lazaro and 27-year-old Jose Alvarez, both from Fresno, were found with multiple bags of mail and stolen property, along with an illegal gun.

Officers then served a search warrant in Fresno and arrested 40-year-old Latara Patton.

Authorities say Madera residents were targeted by the thieves too, so they're working on filing charges there as well.