Two arrested on mail theft and other charges in Quincy; credit cards, ballots, and more found
Plumas County Sheriff’s Detective Steve Peay announced the arrest of two individuals today, Oct. 26, involved in mail theft and other charges: Jessica Churchville, 33, of Quincy, and Justin Laustrup, 38, of Santa Rosa.
Over the past two weeks the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office has been investigating several mail thefts and fraudulent use of credit cards cases in the Quincy and Portola areas.
On Oct. 25, after an extensive investigation and information received from the public, a search warrant was obtained. The warrant was served at a residence located on Lawrence Street in Quincy belonging to Churchville and Laustrup.
During the search of the residence deputies located thousands of pieces of US mail from Quincy, Sacramento, Oroville, Santa Rosa and Reno, Nevada, to name a few locations. It appears the suspects were attempting to use the credits cards found in the mail fraudulently and had forged several personal checks waiting to be cashed. Additionally, a large quantity of methamphetamine and evidence to support that methamphetamine was being sold, was found.
Churchville and Laustrup were arrested for mail theft, possession of stolen property, possession of access cards with intent to use and possession of controlled substance for sale. Both subjects were booked into the Plumas County Correctional Center.
This is an extensive investigation and will take time to sort out all the mail recovered and identify victims. The Plumas County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who believes they are a victim of mail theft to contact the US Postal Service and the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office (530) 283-6300 to file a report. Deputies will also be attempting to contact victims and let them know we have located mail belonging to them.
In going through the boxes and bags of mail we have located several voting ballots. If you have not received your vote-by-mail ballot, please contact the Plumas County Elections Office (530) 283-6129 to request a new ballot.
The Plumas County Sheriff Office is looking for possible surveillance footage of the suspects stealing mail in the Quincy area. The suspects’ vehicle is described as a 2007 Toyota Scion 2 door coupe dark blue in color.
With the holidays approaching, the Sheriff’s Office would like to ask residents to check their mail frequently and not let it pile up, and track packages and delivery times. If you are expecting checks or valuable mail and do not receive it, contact the sender immediately. Do not send cash; stop your mail delivery if you are gone for a considerable about of time or have friends or family collect it. If you see suspicious persons or vehicles in and around mailboxes please report it.
Visit the sheriff’s office online at plumascounty.us and follow us on Facebook
