15 Mailboxes Destroyed in Rural Spree

Up to 15 mailboxes were damaged or destroyed along Trabing Road in rural Johnson County over the weekend.

The vandalism left letters and packages scattered in ditches and required residents to reassemble broken metal structures. Deputy Kerry Welch with the Johnson County Sheriff's Office confirmed the count of damaged receptacles. He stated that investigators ruled out gunfire as the cause of holes found in the metal, noting the damage did not match bullet impacts.

Ashley Lane discovered one mailbox snapped off at ground level, carried miles down the road, and thrown over a fence. She found the box and its contents strewn through the ditch. Lane said the mail looked like it had been shot, pointing to several holes in the items. She gathered the broken pieces and returned the mail and box to the resident's porch. Lane contacted the sheriff's office to report the find and learned deputies were already investigating the incident.

The Johnson County Sheriff's Office announced on Monday that law enforcement had contacted a group of young adults regarding the vandalism. The office described the group as having smashed mailboxes through the night. Deputies urged residents to report any damage to their property. Myrna Bybee reported that an entire row of mailboxes at the corner of Bethel Road and Highway 87 was damaged. Her son attempted to straighten the boxes and repair doors the following morning to restore mail service.

Trabing Road is a 15.5-mile rural stretch south of Buffalo. It runs through open countryside between Interstate 25 and Wyoming Highway 196. The sheriff's office has not announced arrests or charges in the case. Welch said the investigation remains ongoing while authorities try to establish the full extent of the damage.

Federal law under 18 U.S.C. § 1705 defines willful injury to a mailbox as a crime punishable by up to three years in prison, a fine, or both. Wyoming Statute 6-3-201 classifies property damage as a misdemeanor if repairs cost less than $1,000. That offense carries up to six months in jail and a $750 fine. If damage reaches $1,000 or more, the offense becomes a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Prosecutors may combine the value of property damaged during a single course of conduct to determine the charge level.

Authorities have not released a dollar estimate for the total damage. The sheriff's office is asking residents along Trabing Road to contact Deputy Welch at 307-684-5581 to report smashed or broken mailboxes.