Mailboxes Several Woolwich residents woke up Saturday morning to find their mailboxes vandalized during the night. The vandals took down mailboxes on both section I and section II of the Old Stage Road. (Photo Arlene Whitney)

Sagadahoc Sheriff's Department Sergeant Greg Siegel was called to a home on the Old Stage Road in Woolwich Saturday morning to check out a report of a missing mailbox.

When he arrived he was told that four mailboxes had been vandalized sometime between Friday evening, February 29 and early Sunday morning. Later in the day the Sheriff's Department also received a report that another mailbox had been vandalized on another section of the road.

Due to the heavy snowfall during the night, Siegel said any evidence such as of tire marks was destroyed.

"At first I thought it may have been caused by a snowplow," he said, "but the way one mailbox was broken off its post from the back it could not have been done by a plow."

"Unless we see someone, or someone sees the act being committed there is not much we can do. We encourage people to report any suspicious activities to the department. We would rather have a call and it be nothing, than to have it be something and not be called," he said.

Mailboxes are considered federal property, and a federal law makes it a crime to vandalize a mailbox. According to Federal Prosecutor John Chatman, vandalizing mailboxes could be a state or federal offense, and in most cases it is handled by the state. Rural area mailboxes are the most vulnerable to vandalism because they are usually isolated, and not in view of the box owners' homes.

According to the United States Postal Inspection Service Web site, www.com/postalinspectors/smashbox.htm , violators can be fined up to $250,000 or imprisoned for up to three years for each act of vandalism.

The Postal Inspection Service suggests mailbox owners help prevent the vandalizing or destruction of their mailboxes or mail that may be inside by taking the following actions, according to the website:

"Immediately report theft, tampering with, or destruction of mail and mailboxes to your local postmaster. You will be asked to complete PS Form 1510, Mail Loss and Rifling Report, or PS Form 2016 Mail Theft and vandalism complaint. These forms help the Postal Inspection Service determine whether your problem is isolated or one frequently experienced in your neighborhood."

"Remove your mail from your mailbox as soon as possible after delivery. Allowing mail to pile up for several days only tempts would be vandals and thieves. If it is not possible for you to pick up your mail right after delivery, and you have been experiencing problems with mailbox vandalism or mail theft, consider renting a post office box, which will provide a secure method of delivery.

"Obtain Label 33 from the Postal Inspection Service. This sticker which warns that willful damage to mail boxes and theft of mail is a crime, can be affixed to your mailbox.

"If you discover someone tampering with your or your neighbor's mailbox, obtain that person's description and that of his vehicle, including the license plate number. Immediately report the information to your local police and postmaster."

There are other concerns that can arise from a theft of a mailbox in a rural area like Woolwich. The 911 address is located on the mailbox, should an incident occur the emergency vehicle would have difficulty in locating where the call was made, and could create a very serious situation.

The local mail delivery person was unable to deliver mail to several homes on Saturday, because of the vandalism of the mailboxes. Therefore the mail was taken back to the post office.

"The Postal Inspection Service asks for cooperation from the public to apprehend violators of this vandalism," the website says. "The service attempts to publicize their successful investigations of mailbox vandalism to deter other potential vandals. Information and complaints should be provided to the Sheriff's Department and the nearest postmaster."

Anyone with any information on Saturday night's vandalism is asked to contract the Sagadahoc Sheriff's Department and the Woolwich postmaster.