"I said, 'You need to stay out of the mailboxes. It's a federal offense,'" Collier told us he told the teen. "I didn't think anything about it, turned around and then I saw him get into my neighbor's mailbox."
Collier then followed him and called the sheriff's department.
"He's looking for money out of Christmas cards," said Collier.
Sheriff's deputies chased the teen as he leapt over fences before catching and arrested him.
"It was great police work on behalf of the deputies who responded out here," said Sgt. Eric Batton with the Harris County Sheriff's Office. "They did a great job setting up a perimeter and boxing in the suspect."
Postal worker Lara Lee Carson says this isn't the first time she's seen this on her route.
"Juveniles, something for quick money, because they're not keeping the cards," she said.
Sheriff's deputies say the teen threw the cards in a nearby bayou before being caught. Deputies say they caught a second suspect just a few blocks away.
"Actually, it's pretty despicable that they would do this in the time of the season, a Holy season such as this when we're there to give to our neighbors and to our friends and families to show our love for them," said Sgt. Batton.
Those two teens are in juvenile custody. There's no word on what charges they may face. Deputies say your best defense against this is for all residents to be observant.
