Mailbox Thefts Were Student Prank
If you live on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and are missing your mailbox, try contacting the police.
Palos Verdes Estates police said Wednesday that they still have 15 of the 52 mailboxes stolen from area homes as part of a prank planned by Rolling Hills High School students.
Police said an unknown number of students went on a spree last Thursday night, taking mailboxes in Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes.
The students planned to use the mailboxes to spell out the letters “RH” on the Palos Verdes High School football field. The idea for the prank stemmed from the longtime rivalry between the two schools and the fact that the Palos Verdes school is slated to be closed for good this summer.
Palos Verdes Estates Police Capt. Mike Tracy called it a “last hurrah” of sorts by Rolling Hills High School students.
The prank was interrupted after an officer patrolling near Palos Verdes High School around 11 p.m. heard noises coming from the campus and stopped to investigate.
“About 20 kids took off in about 30 different directions,” Tracy said.
As of Wednesday, three boys ages 14 to 16 had been arrested on suspicion of vandalism and petty theft and released to their parents, Tracy said. Police are hoping that the other students who participated in the prank will turn themselves in.
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