Two West Virginia residents have been arrested after authorities say they stole mail and packages from dozens of homes across the Alleghany Highlands, prompting a multi-agency investigation that now spans Virginia and West Virginia.
According to the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia, deputies arrested Kathleen Marie Davis, 22, and Corey Shane Martin, 23, both of Alderson, West Virginia, after they were allegedly caught removing mail from roadside mailboxes in western Alleghany County.
Investigators say Davis and Martin admitted to stealing mail for at least two weeks. The pair reportedly told officers that “times were tough” and they decided to take property that didn’t belong to them.
The arrests came around 2 a.m. on December 10, when off-duty Alleghany County Lieutenant Doug Altizer noticed a white sedan with black rims stopped near his mailbox. Suspicious of recent reports of mail theft, he followed the car to Indian Draft Road and alerted on-duty deputies. Officers conducted a felony traffic stop a short time later near Jackson River Road and Foxaway Lane.
A search of the vehicle uncovered multiple packages and pieces of mail belonging to residents in the Indian Draft and Johnson’s Creek communities, along with $413 in cash, authorities said.
Both Davis and Martin were taken to the Alleghany County Regional Jail, where they each face 18 felony charges under Virginia’s mail-theft statute.
The case now involves federal postal inspectors as well as law enforcement agencies in Bath County, Virginia, and West Virginia. Investigators are reviewing whether additional charges will be filed across state lines as stolen items and victim reports continue to be processed.
The Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office is encouraging residents in the affected areas to check their mail, report missing packages, and contact authorities if they believe they were impacted.