A man accused of breaching 53 rural mailboxes in Oliver has pleaded not guilty to the various resultant offences.
Michael Stanley Minchau appeared via video in Penticton provincial court on Wednesday.
In December, RCMP asked the public to check their post boxes to confirm they were secure after they were breached and it was unknown what exactly was stolen.
Complaints were filed from Canada Post in Oliver that the individual mailboxes at the 5400 block of Black Sage Road, Seacrest Hill Road/Pampas Grass Way, 37400 block of Willowbrook Road, Fairview Road and West Avenue, 700 block of Seacrest Road and Pine Hill Road and Pine Hill Place were breached.
RCMP said the boxes appeared to have been pried open with some kind of tool.
Minchau faces four counts of mischief $5,000 or under, four counts of causing a person to use a forged document, one count of theft under $5,000 or under, two counts of possession of stolen property under $5,000, five counts of forgery and one count of theft from mail. A pre-trial conference was scheduled for March 25.
Minchau also plead guilty on Wednesday to two counts of breach of conditions that occurred in January.
The man’s lawyer, Bob Maxwell, said Minchau also faces 11 charges in Grand Forks but those matters will not be carried over to the Penticton courts.
Also arrested with Minchau in January was Lisa Roseanne Carlisle.
The pair were arrested after being accused of taking licence plates from a vehicle in Olalla.
Carlisle was charged with one count of theft under $5,000 and two counts of breach of conditions. She is scheduled to go to trail on Aug. 18.
