Grass Valley, CA – Two suspects were arrested, and dozens of pieces of stolen mail were recovered this week, when a Nevada County Sheriff Deputy on Patrol in the area of Wolf Mountain Road on Oct. 10, 2023 made a proactive contact with two occupants of a vehicle backed into a long private driveway. When the deputy contacted the driver, identified as Haley Koen, age 25, of Penn Valley, she was found to have an active misdemeanor warrant and was in possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.
Upon a search of the vehicle, a bag of mail was located inside, none of which was addressed to Koen, nor her passenger. Additionally, open mail containing birthday cards, checks, and personal identity information from several residences were in the front passenger seat area where 29-year-old transient Shane Sepulveda had been seated.
Further investigation led to multiple Nevada County locations where the mail was stolen from, including Shangrila Lane, Running Springs Road, Thoroughbred Loop, Polaris Drive, American Ranch Drive, and Galaxy Way. A new Husqvarna Chainsaw and cordless Sawzall were also found in the vehicle but were not listed as stolen property when the equipment serial numbers were checked against the state database.
Koen and Sepulveda were arrested for mail and identity theft charges. Additionally, Koen was also charged with possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, along with a warrant for a failure to appear on prior drug charges. They were both booked into the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility.
If anyone was recently the victim of a stolen Husqvarna chainsaw and/or cordless Sawzall, they are encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Office at 530-265-1471, attention Deputy Brandon Lampe.