The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office reported Thursday afternoon that deputies earlier in the day had noticed several mail boxes open along the rural areas of Highway 253 and Robinson Creek Road.

Closer inspection revealed the mail boxes appeared to have been ransacked, and several items of mail were strewn down the roadway.

Due to previous mail thefts in the area, and with the approaching Christmas holiday, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office had begun surveillance of several locations in some of the rural areas, fearing further mail thefts would occur. Deputies viewed surveillance materials and were able to identify a vehicle associated with the theft.

Deputies began searching the Ukiah area for the vehicle and located it at 1340 N. State St., the Discovery Inn.

They learned the vehicle was associated with people in one of the motel rooms. The Sheriff’s Office reported that detectives contacted 29-year-old Daniel Montalvo, in that room and entered it, seizing it for search warrant. Also found in this room were Shannon Archer, 45, Joshua Dean, 22, and Lewis Dishman, 33.

All four were described by the MCSO as Ukiah transients, and deputies said Joshua Dean initially used a false name, stating he was another person.

Deputies received a search warrant for the room and the vehicle from a Mendocino County Superior Court judge and served the search warrant.

Located in the room were firearms, drug paraphernalia, pepper spray, stolen mail from multiple locations throughout the Ukiah Valley including the Highway 253 area as well as burglary tools, the MCSO stated.

A search of the vehicle was also completed, Deputies reportedly located stolen firearm components as well as stolen property from locations within the Ukiah Valley.

Shannon Archer was found to have convictions which precluded her from possession of firearms. Deputies were able to positively identify Joshua Dean through photographs and learned he had outstanding arrest warrants for parole violations as well as local warrants.

Montalvo, Dishman and Dean were arrested and booked on charges of criminal conspiracy, mail theft, possession of stolen property and possession of burglary tools.

Dean was also charged with impersonation of another. Archer was arrested and booked on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and pepper spray.

An investigation into this case is continuing as more victims are being located. Those with any information regarding this crime or who may have been a victim in this case are asked to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Tip Line at (707) 234-2100.