Mail Thief Tracked Down, Arrested In Santa Rosa: Police

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — A man suspected of vandalizing a mailbox Monday in South Santa Rosa and stealing mail from it was arrested Tuesday after officers tracked him down.

The theft was reported shortly after 8 a.m. Monday when a citizen called the Santa Rosa Police Department about damages to a "large, locked cluster box unit for residents’ mail collection" at Dutton Meadow and Maureen Drive, Santa Rosa police Sgt. Ryan Hepp said in a news release.

Mail belonging to several different residents appeared to be tampered with and stolen, Hepp said.

The caller gave officers the description of a person in a suspicious truck seen in the area a few hours prior earlier.

Less than two hours later, an officer heard a call about mail being scattered in the roadway in the 1700 block of Bancroft Drive.

"Concerned the incidents were related, the officer responded, reviewed the mail items, and determined it was related to the previous mail theft call based on the addresses involved," Hepp said.

The officer reviewed surveillance footage of the mail being discarded and saw the vehicle described by the original caller, Hepp said.

The following day at 8:15 a.m., the same officer was on patrol at Rose Avenue and Burbank Avenue when he saw the truck from the surveillance footage so he stopped the truck and made contact with the driver.

Detectives from the Property Crimes Investigations Team got involved with the investigation and a search warrant was obtained for the driver's residence.

Around 1 p.m. Tuesday, the warrant was served at a residence in the 1800 block of Malibu Circle. It is alleged that during the search, detectives found several items of evidence related to the original mail theft and numerous other items of personal identifying information for dozens of victims, indicative of ongoing identity theft.

The driver of the truck, identified by police as 44-year-old Santa Rosa resident Daryl Crowe, was arrested and booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of felony vandalism, identity theft from more than 10 victims, carrying a concealed dirk or dagger and felony violation of probation.

A resident of the house, 44-year-old Jeramie Flowers, was arrested and booked into Sonoma County jail on suspicion of being a felon in possession of ammunition, possession of a billy club, and possession of metal knuckles.

A guest at the residence, 46-year-old Jesus Juarez Jr. of Santa Rosa, was cited on suspicion of misdemeanor identity theft and was released.

Another guest, 38-year-old Larissa Domenichelli of Cloverdale, was cited on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and was released.

In the coming weeks, detectives plan to contact the identity theft victims and return any missing items if appropriate.