Brent Andrew Hawley, 40, pleaded guilty on Monday to second degree burglary of the Arbuckle post office just days before Christmas.
Hawley will be sentenced on April 24.
Hawley, who was reportedly a difficult client for the two separate public defenders assigned to represent him, was set to go to trial when he took the plea deal in exchange for dismissal of the other felony charges, including identity theft, forgery, possession of identifying information with a prior record, and four misdemeanors, including possession of a controlled substance.
Hawley is facing a maximum three-year sentence for the crime, due to his lengthy criminal history.
Hawley was located inside the post office around 11:45 PM on Dec. 23, lying on the floor, surrounded by unopened mail, with a screwdriver in his hand, attempting to pry open one of the postal boxes, according to testimony at Hawley’s second preliminary hearing Feb. 27.
According to court records, Hawley has a history of identity theft for personal gain and had been arrested on similar charges in Amador County in 2019 and in Placer County in 2020.
In addition to mail belonging to some 15 Arbuckle residents, a search warrant served on the vehicle located outside the Post Office allegedly led Colusa County Sheriff’s Officials to check-printing equipment; stolen credit cards; identification, including social security numbers, belonging to other individuals; burglary tools; drug paraphernalia; methamphetamine; mail believed to be stolen from the unincorporated town of Brooks in Yolo County; and checks totalling $1,000 to $5,000, at least 17 of which had the original payee erased. Five checks had the payee erased to insert the name Joshua Miller, an alleged victim whose identity was reportedly stolen to purchase a vehicle and open bank accounts, according to testimony.
The investigation into the Arbuckle Post Office burglary revealed that Hawley was the suspect of multiple mail thefts in different locations, law enforcement officials said. â–