A Red Deer man faces a number of charges after RCMP located him in possession of numerous pieces of stolen mail in the early morning of September 20.

At 2 am on September 20, Red Deer RCMP responded to a report of theft of mail in progress in the Westlake neighbourhood after a citizen saw two men breaking into a community mailbox. RCMP located the two men on Wiley Crescent and the pair fled on foot on seeing police approach. Police arrested one suspect after a brief foot chase and seized numerous pieces of stolen mail, what is believed to be methamphetamine, and break-in tools.

24 year old Brandon Aart Speelman faces the following charges:

  • Criminal Code 356(1)(a) – Theft from mail under $5,000 X 2
  • CDSA 4(1) – Possession of Schedule I substance (meth)
  • Criminal Code 351(1) – Possess break-in instruments
  • Criminal Code 129(a) – Resist/ obstruct peace officer
  • Criminal Code 733.1(1) – Fail to comply with probation

Speelman is scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on October 3 at 8:30 am.

“Red Deer RCMP are recovering increasing amounts of stolen mail during arrests, and it corresponds to increased attempts at identity theft,” says Constable Derek Turner of the Red Deer RCMP. “Thieves aren’t just looking for gift cards or credit information – they’re using stolen personal information they gather to access your bank accounts, open new ones in your name, apply for loans and new credit cards, and fraudulently receive government benefits. And sometimes, if they have enough personal information, they’re successful.”

RCMP work in partnership with Canada Post to prevent and investigate theft of mail files, and encourage customers to report any suspicious activities regarding mail to Red Deer RCMP at 403-343-5575 or to Canada Post.

Find more information about identity theft here: http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/scams-fraudes/id-theft-vol-eng.htm

Find more information about protecting yourself from mail theft here: https://www.canadapost.ca/web/en/kb/details.page?article=how_to_prevent_mail_&cattype=kb&cat=security&subcat=identifytheft