Bellows Falls woman arrested in theft of mail

UPDATED INFORMATION – Dec. 5, 1:55 p.m.

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Vermont State Police are saying that they have arrested a Bellows Falls woman for larceny in alleged thefts from mailboxes and possession of a controlled substance.

On Friday Dec. 2, at about 8:20 p.m. police received a complaint of a vehicle stopping at several mailboxes in the Simonsville Road area of  Andover.

The complainant described the vehicle and acting on a “be on the lookout” broadcast a Chester Police officer was able to locate the car at the Jiffy Mart in Chester. He approached the driver, Julia A. McKeen, 56, of Bellows Falls and according to police, McKeen dumped mail into a trash can.

McKeen told the Chester officer that she was putting fliers about a garage sale she was planning into the mailboxes. While the officer spoke with McKeen a second officer arrived and searched the trash can, finding mail.

With the arrival of a state trooper, a search of McKeen’s car was conducted with her consent, and more mail, including packages belonging to several people in the towns of Rockingham, Chester and Andover was found. Police also found McKeen to be in possession of a controlled substance.

McKeen was taken into custody by Vermont State Police and charged with larceny and possession of a controlled substance. McKeen was cited into court in January.