A Bloomington U.S. Postal Service mail carrier has been arrested after authorities discovered trash bags filled with opened mail and packages, leading to an investigation that revealed years of theft.
The 57-year-old woman, a USPS employee since 2014, was arrested on Nov. 25 and charged with one felony count of official misconduct and 31 misdemeanor counts of theft. She also faces misdemeanor charges for possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance, after police say she admitted stealing illegal drugs found inside packages.
She was released the same day after posting $2,500 bond. Her initial hearing is scheduled for Dec. 5.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the woman was being treated at Meadows Hospital, a mental health facility in Bloomington, when a Monroe County sheriff’s deputy and two postal investigators questioned her on Sept. 5 about contraband found at her home. Investigators say she admitted stealing mail and package contents “sporadically over the past few years,” telling them she needed the money and struggled with a compulsion to steal. She repeatedly referred to herself as a kleptomaniac, saying, “I should not be delivering mail.”
A relative contacted the sheriff’s office on Sept. 3 after discovering bags filled with mail at the woman’s residence on Mt. Gilead Road. Officers recovered “well over” 1,000 pieces of first-class mail, numerous greeting cards, and 88 opened USPS packages that were never delivered. Many greeting cards had been opened, and some still contained checks.
Investigators seized 31 uncashed checks, believed to have been removed from envelopes. The checks ranged from $20 to $500, dated between June and November 2019, totaling $3,697.32. One sender lost two checks—one for $50 in July 2019 and another for $100 in October 2019—that never reached the intended recipient.
Police also found eight unused gift cards, $11 in cash, and a $34 order that had been taken. The full amount of stolen money and gift cards remains unknown.
Additionally, about 10 ounces of marijuana and one ecstasy pill were recovered from the home, which investigators say the woman admitted to taking from mailed packages.
Most of the seized mail originated from city route 25 in ZIP code 47408. While stolen checks and gift cards were held as evidence, the remaining mail and packages were returned to the post office for proper delivery.
Postal officials confirmed that the woman had been employed at the Woodbridge Post Office on East 10th Street for more than a decade.