We are in the country and we went thru this after living here about 12yrs..for about 2yrs. We kept putting it back up not saying a word . Well, for no apparent reason we seem to be targeted again and they even cut the box off our post and left w/it. (About 6 times of a hit in 2weeks)

They were stupid enough to leave some 'evidence' in the box a few times ago, so we sent that off to be fingerprinted-they say it will take 8m! We have been hit twice over the weekend and we are now mounting a night camera to try and catch'm. Which I am being told we can only press charges on damaging of property. Anyone else go thru this? Any input would be great! And, as far as 'federal' charges, they save that for an extreme situation from what the sherriff tells us. Any experience or knowing would be great here! One frustrated mailbox owner..Skeat....who says, if you have teenagers...find out what they are doing on the weekends!:)

From what I heard from the neighbors, it used to happen alot here. Most of the people now have their mailboxes anchored in between cinderblocks/cement. They build a tower sort of thing, then put the mailbox up at the right height, then more cement and cinderblocks around it. Some have used bricks too. Seems that once the boxes started being made like that, no one messed with them. Guess they couldn't whack them over with them being like they are now.

We used to have that happen to us growing up.
I guess I was maybe 16 the last time I remember it happening.
Some idiots on a dirt bike, zooming up and down the road whacking mailboxes with a stick/pipe or something.
Well, dad had had enough of that, so out the door he went with his shotgum. YUP! SHOTGUN! We lived in the middle of the woods...neighbors 1/4 mile down the road and 1/2 mile up the road and none across the street. Woods all around us.
Dirtbike comes down the road again. Dad took aim at the bottom of the mailbox and WHAM!! Hit the back tire of the dirtbike. Some obscenities could be heard from the riders, but they never came back. Dad thought he knew who the hoodlums were, so the next day he told his story at work. Let it be known that the next time it happened, he'd be aiming at heads. Never happened again!

That is horrible. It does happen here on occasion. Our mailbox is on the house so not so much here. You would think there would be more they can do.

I think the Sheriff is meaning that since they are just messing with the boxes and NOT the mail, nothing can really be done except for slap their hands and make them pay damages

If the box is owned by the Post Office, it is, supposedly, but if it's your own personal mailbox, it's not. Only the contents is governed under Federal law.

It happens every once in a while in different area...they seem to like to drive by in cars and whack them with a baseball bat.

My brother was a year older than me and had some wild friends they used to put a pack of firecrackers in and close it . They would launch them 20 ft in the air...I never told......They did get caught tipping outhouses and swiping watermellons :oops: :lol: :lol: Many years ago

yeah we are getting some ...since mine is inbetween 2 the outside ones are getting it.....
Its the end of summer and they are borded NOT AN EXCUSS just a reminder to parents to keep up with your kids ALL SUMMER.
I know if I found out one of mine did/doing that OMGAWD they would be replacing it with the brick one and doing the work themselves.

It is frustrating and crazy!:)I bet your neighbors will be arm wrestling for that mailbox spot soon Ms Sage:)

My dh just called me for he just bought the night time camera for deer:)The guy he bought it from said 'oh, yea, I use to do that when I was a kid'....guess he isn't going to become a rocket scientist any time soon:) Yes, I sooooo agree......know what your kids are doing and maybe review mailbox appropriate behaviors:)

We had ours smashed a few times and once a car took it out (think the damage to the car was worse - kids joyriding)

We have since built a sturdy frame around the box, and knock on wood - so far so good.

Unfortunately my brother and a couple of friends, blew up our old middle school principals mailbox back in 1975...the principal's neighbor recognized my brother's black charger and called my dad...let's just say my brother could not have sat down to drive even if dad had not pulled various wires off the engine to keep it in the driveway. :wink:
Same brother 20 or so years later had some one beating on his mailbox...several times...was not amused at all when I reminded him about his mailbox antic... :wink: :twisted: :wink: It did evolve into mail theft when someone figured out my sil was receiving checks in the mail from her newspaper route customers...then the PO did get involved...they had to go with a PO box to stop the theft...occasionally their mailbox will still get a beating...