Men threw gun and stolen mail from Jeep while speeding away from Texas cops, feds say

After stealing mail from blue U.S. Postal Service collection boxes — then throwing some of that mail from a stolen Jeep during a police chase — a 23-year-old Texas man is prison bound, according to federal authorities.

Dontae Dewey McGee, of Houston, was sentenced Jan. 11 to 37 months in prison and ordered to pay $55,372 in restitution after pleading guilty to mail theft in June 2022, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas.

His defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on Jan. 12.

Authorities said the Postal Service began receiving mail theft complaints regarding various collection boxes in Beaumont during January 2022.

Responding to the complaints, on Feb. 10, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) installed security cameras so that some of the blue deposit boxes were monitored at all times, according to court records.

The cameras recorded mail thefts on nine days throughout February, officials said.

“The surveillance footage indicated that the thefts were being conducted by at least two individuals, working as a team to steal mail and mail matter from these USPS blue deposit boxes,” according to court records. “The perpetrators appeared to be utilizing a key to access the contents of the boxes, allowing for quick removal of the contents of each blue deposit box.”

The men were in a dark, newer model Jeep Cherokee, officials said.

After discovering a pattern, USPIS coordinated live surveillance on USPS boxes with the Beaumont Police Department on Feb. 28. And at about 1:45 a.m. that morning, police spotted the Jeep near a post office facility.

The Jeep sped away when officers tried to pull it over, according to court records.

Less than an hour later, officers spotted the Jeep at a McDonald’s restaurant in Beaumont, authorities said. Officers entered the parking lot, leading McGee to again speed away.

Officers chased the Jeep, continuing onto parts of Interstate 10 at over 130 mph, according to court records. The men inside the Jeep were seen throwing mail and a gun from the vehicle.

“Spike strips were deployed and proved to be successful in damaging the fleeing vehicle’s wheels, but the vehicle continued to travel for some time without tires,” officials said, though the Jeep was eventually stopped.

McGee was driving the Jeep and had one male passenger, officials said.

He admitted to buying a key from someone to unlock the blue mailboxes and to stealing mail, according to court records. He also admitted to throwing stolen mail from the stolen Jeep.

The passenger also admitted to stealing mail — and also said he was the one who threw the gun and mail from the Jeep, officials said. He pleaded guilty on Sept. 7 and is awaiting sentencing.

This story was originally published January 12, 2023 at 1:34 PM with the headline "Men threw gun and stolen mail from Jeep while speeding away from Texas cops, feds say."