Final story: Customers in neighborhoods throughout Summit County have been experiencing interruptions to mail delivery as the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigates burglaries at the Dillon and Silverthorne post offices.

The Dillon Police Department arrested an individual Tuesday morning, Aug. 27, who law enforcement suspect to be involved with a string of robberies throughout the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

Dillon Police Chief Cale Osborn said in a phone call Tuesday that police responded to the Dillon Post Office around 4 a.m. when an employee called 911 to report an active burglary. At the scene, police arrested a woman on a warrant out of Aurora, Osborn said. He said she will be charged with burglary.

Just days before the arrest, on Aug. 24, the Dillon Police responded to the post office around 1:30 a.m. for an intrusion alarm but cleared the building and found no one inside, Osborn said. He said there have also been burglaries at post offices at Copper Mountain, Idaho Springs and Silverthorne that police believe to be connected.

Osborn said police suspect multiple people are involved in the burglaries and this “is not a chance burglary in Dillon by any means.” The Dillon Police Department is supporting the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s investigation into the burglaries, he said.

U.S. Postal Service spokesperson James Boxrud said in a statement that mail delivery to cluster box units in Summit County neighborhoods has been temporarily suspended, “out of an abundance of caution.” 

Impacted customers can pick up their mail at the Dillon Post Office at 500 Lake Dillon Drive from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, Boxrud said. He added that service will be restored to those customers, “as soon as possible.”

Both the Dillon and Silverthorne post offices remain open, and residents have access to their P.O. boxes.

“We appreciate the patience of our customers as we work through this situation and hope to restore service soon,” Boxrud said.

On Tuesday morning, Silverthorne resident Hailey Van Duzer was one of several people who turned out to the Dillon Post Office to pick up mail that had not been delivered to its usual neighborhood mailboxes. Van Duzer said the mailboxes in her Smith Ranch neighborhood had a note stating, “due to a local postal emergency mail service will be temporarily suspended at this delivery point.”

The message on the mailboxes directed residents to go to the Dillon Post Office to pick up their mail. Residents in the Summit Cove neighborhood on the opposite side of the county also reported not receiving mail at their neighborhood mailboxes and being directed to the Dillon Post Office to pick it up.

Van Duzer feels fortunate that she has a work schedule that gives her time during the day when she can pick up her mail in-person from the Dillon Post Office counter, but she noted that many people work Monday through Friday when the post office is open.

“It’s like ‘How do I get my mail?’ I don’t know how they’ll do it,” Van Duzer said. “I’m just lucky I have an option because not everyone does.”

U.S. Postal Inspector Melissa Atkin, out of the Denver Division Headquarters, in an email Tuesday morning confirmed an ongoing investigation into burglaries at Dillon and Silverthorne post offices.

Atkin said that any postal customers who have any missing mail or realize they are a victim of identity theft or check fraud due to mail theft should file a report as soon as possible either online at PostalInspectors. USPIS.gov or by phone at 877-876-2455. This could help the Postal Inspection Service identify those responsible for the thefts and those who were victimized.

“The security of the U.S. Mail is important to us,” Atkin said in the email. “Any leads associated to those responsible for these burglaries is greatly appreciated and will be promptly pursued.”

Update 12 p.m.: Mail service to delivery points throughout Summit County have been suspended amid a string of post office burglaries.

Silverthorne resident Hailey Van Duzer was one of several people who turned out to the Dillon Post Office on Tuesday morning to pick up mail that had not been delivered to its usual neighborhood mailboxes. Van Duzer said the mailboxes in her Smith Ranch neighborhood had a note stating, “due to a local postal emergency mail service will be temporarily suspended at this delivery point.”

The message on the mailboxes directed residents to go to the Dillon Post Office to pick up their mail. Residents in the Summit Cove neighborhood on the opposite side of the county also reported not receiving mail at their neighborhood mailboxes and being directed to the Dillon Post Office to pick it up.

“We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause,” the message taped to mailboxes states. “Mail delivery will resume as soon as possible.”

Both the Dillon and Silverthorne post offices remain open, and residents have access to their P.O. boxes. The U.S. Postal Service has not responded to questions about how mail service has been impacted in Summit County.

Van Duzer said she feels fortunate that she has a work schedule that gives her time during the day when she can pick up her mail in-person from the Dillon Post Office counter, but she noted that many people work Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and can only visit the counter when the post office is closed.

“It’s like ‘How do I get my mail?’ I don’t know how they’ll do it,” Van Duzer said. “I’m just lucky I have an option because not everyone does.

Original story: The Dillon Police Department arrested an individual Tuesday morning, Aug. 27, who law enforcement suspect to be involved with a string of post office robberies throughout the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

Dillon Police Chief Cale Osborn said in a phone call Tuesday that police were called to the Dillon Post Office around 4 a.m. when an employee called 911 to report an active burglary. At the scene, police arrested a woman on a warrant out of Aurora, Osborn said. He said she will be charged with burglary.

Just days before the arrest, on Aug. 24, the Dillon Police responded to the post office around 1:30 a.m. for an intrusion alarm but cleared the building and found no one inside, Osborn said. He said there have also been burglaries at post offices at Copper Mountain, Idaho Springs and Silverthorne that police believe to be connected.

Osborn said police suspect multiple people are involved in the burglaries and this “is not a chance burglary in Dillon by any means.” The Dillon Police Department is supporting the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s investigation into the burglaries, he said.

U.S. Postal Inspector Melissa Atkin, out of the Denver Division Headquarters, in an email Tuesday morning confirmed an ongoing investigation into burglaries at Dillon and Silverthorne post offices.

Atkin said that any postal customers who have any missing mail or realize they are a victim of identity theft or check fraud due to mail theft should file a report as soon as possible either online at PostalInspectors.USPIS.gov or by phone at 877-876-2455. This could help the Postal Inspection Service identified those responsible for the thefts and those who were victimized.

“The security of the U.S. Mail is important to us,” Atkin said in the email. “Any leads associated to those responsible for these burglaries is greatly appreciated and will be promptly pursued.”