Waterbury man charged in attempted Ellington mail theft

Erika Purdy, Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
·3 min read

Apr. 17—ELLINGTON — A Waterbury man is facing federal charges that he tried to steal mail from a mailbox outside the Ellington post office on March 29 and illegally possessed a key to open the box.

The man, Tomlin Hooper, is free on a $75,000 bond while the case is in court.

Postal Inspector Susan Girton wrote in an affidavit that Hooper was "believed to be involved in a mail theft and check fraud scheme in the state of Connecticut since at least September of 2020."

ATTEMPTED MAIL THEFT

DEFENDANT: Tomlin Hooper of Waterbury

CHARGES: Attempted mail theft, illegal possession of a mailbox key

STATUS: Free on $75,000 bond

WHERE ARRESTED: Post office at 2 Church St. in Ellington

Last September, Girton wrote, there were several customer complaints about the mailbox in front of the post office at 2 Church St. Customers reported that items that they had mailed there, including checks, never arrived at their intended destinations. Some checks and money orders were "later altered and fraudulently negotiated at area financial institutions," according to the inspector.

The Postal Inspection Service installed a security camera outside of the post office on Feb. 5 and captured footage of a suspect taking mail from the mailbox four times between Feb. 11 and March 22, each time between around 2 a.m. and 3 a.m.

The suspect opened the mailbox with an "arrow key" designed for the purpose. Girton wrote that mail thieves often use "illegitimately acquired or counterfeit mail keys" to steal from mailboxes. She wrote that the key Hooper used when he was arrested March 29 was later identified as appearing to be a legitimate key from the Vernon Post Office, but investigation into its origins was ongoing when she wrote the affidavit.

In the first four thefts, surveillance video showed a suspect resembling Hooper removing a tub of mail from the mailbox and running back toward where he had come from. He returned shortly afterward to replace the tub, which appeared to be empty, then closed and locked the box.

On March 28, postal inspectors installed a "key catcher" on the mailbox. This device is designed to "grab onto the blade of a key and jam the locking mechanism so the key cannot be turned and removed," according to Girton.

The next night, postal inspectors and agents from Postal Service's inspector general's office conducted surveillance at the post office. A silver sedan with New York license plates drove slowly through the parking lot once before returning a few minutes later and parking in a space. Hooper got out of the front passenger's seat and ran toward the mailbox, which he opened at 3:33 a.m., Girton reported.

Inspectors and agents then converged on Hooper and the car. They arrested him, but the car fled northeast on Maple Street.

In conversation with agents, Hooper said someone named James gave him between $300 and $500 on two occasions — March 29 and an earlier unknown date — to steal from the mailbox.

Hooper was subsequently released to the custody of his mother on the $75,000 bond. He can travel out of state only with court permission, and he surrendered his passport to his lawyer, Assistant Federal Defender Moira L. Buckley.

Hooper on Friday asked court permission to travel to Jamaica on Monday for his grandfather's funeral and to remain there for seven days. U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish granted the request, provided that the U.S. Probation Office approves Hooper's itinerary.

He will travel with father and mother. Upon returning to the Connecticut, he is required to again surrender his passport, this time to a probation officer.

For coverage of Ellington and Somers towns, as well as Enfield Public Schools and Board of Education, follow Erika Purdy on Twitter: @ErikaPurdyJI, Facebook: Erika Purdy JI Reporter, and Instagram: @ErikaPurdyJI.

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