Horseshoe Bay sergeant recognized for mail theft investigation
Patrol Sergeant Brad Holden (center) is recognized during the May 19 meeting of the Horseshoe Bay City Council alongside his wife (left) and daughter, Acting Police Chief Paul Nelson, and City Manager Jeff Koska. Courtesy photo of City of Horseshoe Bay.
Horseshoe Bay Police Patrol Sergeant Brad Holden was recognized during the May 19 meeting of the Horseshoe Bay City Council for his role in an investigation that helped identify a contracted postal carrier now facing multiple charges related to mail theft in the city.
The investigation began after a resident reported not receiving a gift card despite company records showing it had been mailed to the correct address. The victim also learned when and where the card had been used, giving Holden a starting point for the case.
Holden then traced the transaction to a local business and obtained surveillance footage, but store employees could not identify the person shown in the video. While following up on leads, Holden showed a photograph of the suspect to other businesses and was told the individual resembled a local postal employee.
“I followed up on the mere possibility that the person seen in the video may be a postal employee,” Holden told DailyTrib. “ My follow-up efforts led me to discover an employee that resembled the person from the video.”
To further compare the images, Holden located publicly available photographs of the employee and found similarities to the person captured on surveillance footage. He then shared his findings with the HSPD’s Criminal Investigations Division.
“The primary suspect in this case was a USPS contracted employee at the time of the crime,” Holden said. “By virtue of their job, they had legitimate access to mail that passed through the Horseshoe Bay Post Office.”
The investigation was also aided by details gathered during the initial report from the victim. According to Holdend, when asked whether anything similar had happened before, the victim recalled occasionally receiving opened greeting cards or special-occasion mail.
Holden said the investigation reinforced “the importance of paying attention to small details and asking the right questions when speaking with victims and taking reports,” noting that information a victim considers unimportant can sometimes be key to finding the truth.
He also emphasized that local postal officials were not suspected of any wrongdoing.
“There has been no indication that management of the USPS in Horseshoe Bay had any indication of the suspect’s wrongdoings. Once facts of the investigation were brought to their attention, they immediately cooperated with the investigation and helped facilitate its ultimate outcome,” Holden said.
The investigation ultimately led to the arrest of Melanie Rodriguez, 49, a contracted mail carrier who served Horseshoe Bay. Rodriguez was first arrested Jan. 23 on a charge of theft of mail, a state jail felony, and later arrested on Feb. 20 on three additional charges: credit card or debit card abuse, state jail felony, credit card or debit card abuse of an elderly person, third-degree felony, and fraudulent possession of identifying information, state jail felony. She was released on April 9. Police have said the investigation remains active and additional charges are possible.