A suspected mail thief, Jamal Campbell, faced the consequences of his actions as he received a two-year probation sentence on Wednesday. The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to burglary and escape by a felon in front of Judge Maria Kuriakos-Ciesil. In addition to probation, Campbell was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service.
The incident took place on February 4, 2024, when Chicago police responded to reports of a man entering residential buildings on the 1200 block of West 54th Street. Witnesses saw Campbell using a postal service master key to access mailboxes. When officers located him in a building vestibule sorting through mail, Campbell made a run for it. He dashed to the third floor, broke into a vacant apartment, and leaped from a bedroom window in an attempt to escape.
The officers heard the loud noise of glass breaking as Campbell made his daring escape. Despite sustaining serious injuries from the jump, Campbell was apprehended by the police. Inside the apartment, officers found a black bag containing a postal service master key and a bundle of mail.
Campbell’s legal troubles did not end there. In addition to the burglary and escape charges, he was also facing allegations of illegal possession of debit cards and identity theft. However, prosecutors decided to drop the third case during the sentencing.
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