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A suspected mail thief may have let his conscience get the best of him, and his apologetic actions may have helped lead to his arrest, authorities said.
Orange County deputies said Dylan DeShaw sent apology letters to some neighbors in his Tildens Grove community in Windermere after stealing their mail. And for some victims, he sent them money.
But other alleged victims told Channel 9's Jeff Deal the 18-year-old recently took their mail and they haven’t gotten any compensation.
One victim said he and his wife had put dozens of envelopes destined for their business customers in the mailbox.
They found the envelopes opened and tossed into the sewer.
Around the holidays, some people received bizarre apology letters along with a handful of cash from someone who apparently stole holiday cards out of their mailboxes and cashed the checks inside.
One of the letters read in part, “I was extremely intoxicated the other night and woke up the next morning and had realized what I have done. I really do hope y'all forgive me and give me a (second) chance!”
The letters ended with, “Merry Christmas P.S. I know I still did very wrong, but I hope this helps a little."
Orange County deputies said those letters came from DeShaw, and helped connect him to the crime. Since a neighbor received a similar apology letter from DeShaw a year ago, for something unrelated.
According to the police report, on one of the nights mail was stolen, surveillance video captured his car driving up and stopping at several mailboxes in the neighborhood.
Deal caught up with DeShaw as the teenager was getting out of his black BMW in front of his parents’ $750,000 home.
DeShaw said he was intoxicated, during the incident and told Deal to "get out of his face." The teenager's father came outside and said his sonw on't comment on the issue. :
Neighbors said they had gift cards and business-related materials taken.
Investigators believe DeShaw was behind those thefts, as well.
Deputies said DeShaw confessed and told them he was intoxicated when he took the mail.
