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26,000 Missing Mail Items Found; Ex-Postal Worker Charged

STERLING, Colo. (AP) — Authorities say they recovered more than 26,000 pieces of undelivered mail in northeastern Colorado and arrested a former Postal Service worker.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said Friday the recovered mail was addressed to people in Sterling and Fort Morgan. Authorities haven't said where or how they found it.

Twenty-two-year-old Tayson Adam Hidalgo of Sterling is charged with delaying or destroying mail between October 2014 and April 2016.

He didn't immediately return a telephone message left by The Associated Press.

If convicted, Hidalgo faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He's free on an unsecured $5,000 bond and is due in court on Oct. 25.

A meeting is scheduled in Sterling on Nov. 7 to brief residents on when the mail will be delivered.

(© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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