Del Rio, TX — A debit card complaint has opened a mail theft investigation that now involves more than 1,000 possible victims.
On August 18, a woman told Del Rio police her bank flagged suspicious charges of more than $800 around town. She still had her current debit card and was waiting on a replacement in the mail. She said she did not authorize anyone to activate or use the new card.
Detectives reviewed surveillance video, identified Kenneth Austen Belken using the card, and obtained a warrant. On August 25, officers arrested him after seeing him driving on U.S. Highway 90 East near Railway Avenue.
An inventory of the vehicle turned up a large amount of mail that did not appear to be his. A search warrant followed. Investigators then found mail with the names of more than 1,000 different people.
Belken, 36, was charged with credit card or debit card abuse and mail theft. He was processed at the Del Rio Police Department and later released to the GEO Correctional Facility. Additional charges may be filed. The investigation is active.
He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
How to Submit a Tip
Anyone who believes they may be a victim is asked to contact the Del Rio Police Department.
