Suspect charged in UPS theft investigation in Boardman

BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) — A suspect is facing charges as part of an investigation into items stolen from packages that were sent out from the UPS Store on Boardman Poland Road.

According to a police report, investigators were looking into reports that multiple packages had been opened while at the store, and merchandise was taken prior to those packages being shipped. During most of the thefts, electronics were stolen, the report stated.

Police conducting surveillance at the store on Friday stopped an employee who was leaving the store in a Ford Edge. According to the report, the employee, 23-year-old Santos Mercado, allowed officers to search the vehicle. Police reported finding eight cell phones, an Apple watch, two Samsung tablets and a Dell laptop in the vehicle.

Mercado told police that he buys cell phones from various locations, including on Facebook Marketplace, and resells them, the report stated.

Police noted, however, that one of the iPhones that had been reportedly stolen from a package at the facility was found in Mercardo’s vehicle.

Police arrested Mercado on a misdemeanor charge of receiving stolen property.

He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Tuesday, and a pretrial is set for Sept. 3.

WKBN spoke with a manager at the store who confirmed that the employee no longer worked there but had no other comment.

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