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Richard Piatt reportingAt least 80 packages and letters in St. George never got where they were supposed to go. Now, the woman who was supposed to mail them could face a charge of felony theft.
For about a year, the owner of a store called "The Mail Place" allegedly took the money for postage, but the packages didn't go anywhere. The value of the packages and the postage is almost $5,000.
When you think about it, mailing a package full of goodies or cards is a pretty valuable service. That's why the post office and shipping companies charge an average of $3.50 a pound. Once you pay, there is trust the package will be mailed.
St. George resident Lisa Petersen says, "It was a family-owned business, The Mail Place. It was a place my mother has gone to for years. And my husband would go all the time."
In June, Petersen's husband mailed three graduation cards, each with $50 in them, at the St. George mail store. But the letters were among 80 envelopes and boxes that were not mailed, even though the former owner took the money to mail them.
"Yes, I was really surprised that they weren't mailed for six months. I was upset," Petersen said.
Police say, starting around the beginning of last year, and until August, the former owner of the store sold about $900 worth of postage for packages valued about $3,900. Those packages were recently discovered in a St. George apartment the woman had abandoned.
Now, the woman, who has not yet been charged, is facing a felony theft charge. The woman sold the store last fall.
St. George police detectives found the rightful owners of every package.
"It's nice you got them back, yes. And the money was in them," Petersen said.
We are not naming the woman facing the theft charge in this case because a formal charge has not yet been filed. But the Washington County attorney is expecting that soon.
By the way, The Mail Place is now owned and operated by different people.
