Las Cruces woman claims her mailbox was vandalized after her house was mistaken for the home of an alleged child rapist

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) — A woman living on the 1900 block of Connie Lou Drive in Las Cruces says she has been the victim of repeated mailbox vandalism following a child sexual assault case, reported by ABC-7.

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, has been living at the location for 25 years and says this kind of targeted vandalism is new to her. According to her, the neighborhood is usually quiet, and while they have experienced mailbox mischief before, this has been more purposeful and consistent.

"The first time, I thought it was just someone grazing my mailbox, given I live on a corner," she explained. "But then someone actually took the time to cut it, and I realized it wasn't accidental. It happened after the news story about the man charged with child rape."

The report had mentioned that the man in question lived on the 1900 block of Connie Lou Drive, and not at a specific address on that block. The woman believes her home was mistakenly targeted due to the proximity of her home to the street sign, and the fact that her address, which is painted on her mailbox, is 1900.

ABC-7 correctly reported that the man lives on the 1900 block of Connie Lou Drive, not at 1900 Connie Lou Drive. ABC-7 was not the only Borderland news source to report on this story, or to report the address of the alleged crime.

The woman says she does not know the man charged with sexual assault of a child, and she clarified that he does not live at her house at 1900 Connie Lou Drive. Despite this, the woman says she now finds herself under a spotlight she didn't ask for and doesn't deserve.

"I'm a little freaked out," she admitted, "Who's targeting this house? It's not even me."

In response to her concerns, the police advised her to point a camera towards her mailbox. She plans to do so in an attempt to catch the perpetrator.

While the mailbox needs repair, the resident has decided to delay those repairs until the situation calms down. "It's going to cost over 100 bucks just to get a cheap one," she noted, adding that she would prefer a sturdier mailbox considering her corner location.

She also noted a pattern: the incidents seem to occur on the eve of a workweek. The last vandalism act occurred on May 29th, shortly after the child sexual assault case was reported on May 24th.

As she works to regain a sense of peace and normalcy, the woman says she wants to make clear her address is not same address as the alleged suspect, and she hopes that the misunderstanding can be resolved soon.

For now, the woman plans to add more security measures to her home and keep vigilant for any further incidents.