A pair of thieves broke into the post office in tiny Mirror, Alta., on June 9.

Three days later, possibly emboldened by their success, they went back around 5 a.m. and hit the office again.

This time, they were caught "red-handed," police say.

"Because the post office had been hit three days previously, we were watching it," said Staff Sgt. Mark Groves, of the Rocky Mountain House RCMP

Now, after a lengthy investigation and a couple of search warrants, the two men have been charged with a slew of crimes across a wide swath of central Alberta.

Because the post office had been hit three days previously, we were watching it. - Staff Sgt. Mark Groves

RCMP have charged the pair with stealing an ATM machine on May 5 from the Alberta Treasury Branch in Caroline, about 40 km south of Rocky Mountain House

In that case, thieves first stole a CAT front-end loader and used that to smash through the front of the bank. Police quickly recovered the CAT, a stolen truck and trailer, and the ATM.

But the thieves got away.

Police say the pair finally ran out of luck in Mirror, northeast of Red Deer.

A 24-year-old man from the Bentley area has been charged with stealing the ATM machine, with two break-ins at the post office, and with break and enters at the Rimbey Credit Union and the Public Works building in Bashaw.

A 37-year-old man from Rimbey was also arrested in the case and has been charged with numerous break and enters, possession of stolen property, possession of stolen vehicles and possession of a stolen firearm.