A mother and son are awaiting extradition to Georgia to face charges tied to a recent break-in at the Sky Valley Post Office in Rabun County.
Law enforcement arrested 46-year-old Stefini Joi Kirkland-Murphy and 24-year-old Austyn Christopher Kirkland in Pinellas County, Florida, where they live.
Surveillance video helped authorities identify the pair.
“They actually purchased the burglary tools at a local shop and used them to break into the post office,” says Chief Deputy Scott Cheek of the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office. “They stole a good bit of mail which included credit cards, passports, clothing and other unknown items.”
After identifying the suspects, Rabun County investigators took out arrest warrants on them and contacted the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies in Florida acted on the warrants and took the two into custody without incident.
The mother/son duo now face multiple charges in Georgia including ten counts of theft by taking related to the post office burglary on October 5th. Authorities also charged them with one count each of theft by receiving stolen property, burglary, conspiracy to commit a felony, theft by possession of stolen mail, possession of tools for the commission of a crime, and interference with government property.
Officials also charged Kirkland-Murphy with possession of heroin and methamphetamine. Cheek says she had the drugs on her at the time of her arrest. She and her son are currently being held in the Pinellas County Jail.
