Sometime in the early morning hours of Friday, August 7th, someone destroyed our mailbox at 1511 N.W. 188th Street. They did this with an explosive device powerful enough to buckle the sides, rip off the locked front and propel it half way across the cul de sac. Had the device malfunctioned and detonated later it would have seriously injured if not killed anyone who happened to be opening it if it went off. My family members, including my 76 year old mother who typically retrieves the mail, or the mailman could have been in jeopardy.
While the perpetrators may think this funny, and possibly a “rite of passage”, it is anything but. This is a Federal Crime. From the USPS Website (http://about.usps.com/news/state-releases/wi/2011/wi_2011_0512c.htm)
Mailboxes are protected by federal law, and crimes against them and the mail they contain are considered a federal offense. Violators can be fined up to $250,000 or imprisoned for up to three years for each act of vandalism.
It is also a Class B Felony under Washington State Law punishable by 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.