Week in Review : MAJOR EVENTS, IMAGES AND PEOPLE IN ORANGE COUNTY NEWS : MISCELLANY / NEWSMAKERS AND MILESTONES

On Monday, Jim S. Reno got even. Reno, 42, a postal carrier, was delivering mail to a Circle K convenience store in Costa Mesa when he saw a youth steal a wallet from an 83-year-old man.

Reno and another witness, Robert Neper, 23, chased and cornered the robber. Reno retrieved the man’s wallet and then reached into the youth’s back pocket and grabbed his wallet and identification cards.

“I didn’t ask; I just took it,” said Reno, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound Santa Ana resident. “I gave him his wallet back and said: ‘If you want to take off now, go ahead. The police will find you.’ ”

Police declined to identify the suspect but said they were searching for him.

Dennis S. McKeown, Reno’s boss, said, “Carriers do this sort of thing more than people realize. They are very conscious of helping out the public.”

As for the robber, Reno said: “If he is a first offender, I hope this teaches him a lesson. I hate to sound philosophical about it, but if people are caught and they are punished for doing something wrong, maybe they’ll learn from it. The only way you can earn money is honestly--and feel good about it.”