Two Yucca Valley men were arrested Thursday, accused of stealing mail out of a mail delivery truck. According to the Sheriff’s Department, the mail carrier parked his mail truck in the Food 4 Less parking lot about 1:45 p.m. and went into Rent-a-Center to deliver mail. When he emerged, he saw two men, later identified as Michael Haynie, 32, and Alejandro Barreto, 21, breaking a window in the mail truck and grabbing mail inside the truck. A witness also saw the break-in and called 911, and gave a description of the men, their vehicle, their license plate number, and direction of travel. A deputy in Morongo Valley spotted the vehicle a short time later and attempted a traffic stop. Barreto, who was driving, attempted to flee from the deputy, but due to heavy traffic, he pulled into the Circle K parking lot in Morongo Valley. Barreto was taken into custody without incident; however, Haynie fled on foot. Deputies formed a perimeter and located Haynie hiding on a roof; he was captured after a short foot pursuit. Inside the suspects’ vehicle, deputies recovered a large amount of stolen mail. A US Postal Service inspector from San Bernardino responded and will be working with the U.S. attorney’s office on prosecuting the men on multiple felonies. Michael Haynie and Alejandro Barreto were arrested on suspicion of vehicle burglary and possession of stolen property. They were booked into the Morongo Basin Jail, with Barreto’s bail set at $25,000, and Haynie being held without bail for violation of parole.
