Over the weekend, two people were arrested for mail theft, and 21 individuals were arrested for drug and alcohol-related charges, marking a decrease in such crimes by over 10 percent compared to the weekend prior.

From Friday, Dec. 14 to Sunday, Dec. 16, 10 people were arrested for driving under the influence, seven were arrested on drug-related charges and three were arrested for public drunkeness.

The weekend marked an overall decline in alcohol- and drug-related arrests in the Santa Clarita Valley by 12.5 percent, compared to the 24 such arrests made during the weekend prior.

Related: 24 Arrested In Santa Clarita For Drug, Alcohol Charges Over Weekend

Additionally, two adults from Bakersfield were arrested in Newhall Saturday morning after a deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle with no license plates.

“The deputy observed a large quantity of mail in the rear seat of the vehicle, as well as on the passenger floorboard,” said Shirley Miller, spokesperson for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station. “The mail was not addressed to either of the occupants.”

The two adults, 36-year-old Robert Phinney and 49-year-old Kammi Sargent, were also found to be in possession of credit cards, driver’s licenses, passports and checks that did not belong to them, as well as methamphetamine and narcotics paraphernalia, according to officials.

“Unfortunately, mail theft has been an ongoing issue we’ve been dealing with here, as well as in law enforcement agencies throughout the nation,” Miller said. “And usually, we find that mail theft and illegal narcotics go together.”

The pair were arrested and booked at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station on multiple charges, including mail theft.

“Although we have some that may be arrested that live here in Santa Clarita, we’ve seen a recent trend in the last few months that the suspects have been coming from out of the area, but come to our area to take advantage,” Miller said. “Safer communities can sometimes be a target because thieves realize residents’ guard may be down; they may not be locking car doors or back doors.”

Residents can reduce their likelihood for mail theft by checking their mail daily, not leaving mail in their mailbox and mailing any important letters or packages from inside a local post office.

Related: Sheriff’s Encourage USPS Tracking To Prevent Mail Theft

Residents can also sign up for a free service through the United States Postal Service called Informed Delivery, which sends a picture every day of what residents can expect to receive, so they can immediately know if anything is missing.

Miller also called on residents to keep an eye out for anything suspicious in their community.

“We encourage people to be aware of their surroundings and recognize if something doesn’t look right, it probably isn’t,” Miller said. “So if people see anything out of the ordinary, please make a report to the deputies so they can check it out.”

Ed. Note: Wyatt Smith contributed to this story.

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