GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Duluth man faces felony charges after police say he broke into an apartment complex mail center and stole hundreds of pieces of mail.
Officers arrested 39-year-old Elijah Testamark at the Woodmere Trace Apartments on Pleasant Hill Road around 1 a.m. after a witness called 911 to report someone loading trash bags into a car last Friday.
“He got a bag full of stuff. He got a bag full of stuff. He’s putting it in the trunk,” the witness told 911 dispatchers while watching from her bedroom window.
When officers arrived, they found Testamark walking away from a white Chevrolet Cruze. Bodycam video shows officers ordering him to the ground before searching the vehicle.
Inside the car, police discovered nine driver’s licenses from four different states, two Social Security cards, multiple credit cards and a blue crowbar officers believe Testamark used to pry open the mail center door.
A black suitcase in the trunk contained hundreds of pieces of mail addressed to residents at the complex.
“There’s mail all from here everywhere,” an officer said on bodycam video.
When questioned, Testamark told officers the crime was “bigger than me,” though police did not find evidence of an accomplice at the scene.
“I mean, he cleaned out everything in there,” one officer said of the mail center.
Testamark now faces five felony charges including burglary, theft by taking, criminal damage to property, financial transaction card theft, and possession of tools for the commission of a crime. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is reviewing the case for possible federal charges.
According to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, mail theft spikes during the holiday season as the increase in packages creates more opportunities for thieves.
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