20-Year-Old New York Woman Arrested in Wisconsin for Alleged Mail Theft

Columbia County, Wisconsin – A 20-year-old New York woman was arrested in Wisconsin on Tuesday for allegedly taking mail from people’s mailboxes.

According to the announcement, on Friday, September 6, 2024, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office began receiving reports from residents of Dekorra and Otsego that mail had been stolen from their mailboxes.

Over the next three days, the sheriff’s office received more than 20 instances of mail being taken from mailboxes in these regions.

A suspect car was identified based on observations made by victims and witnesses. Detectives began working with other law enforcement organizations in the area and discovered that this car was linked to a number of similar crimes in Dane County’s northern region.

Detectives apprehended Rachel Russell, 20, of Van Etten, New York, on Tuesday, September 10, with the assistance of the La Crosse Police Department.

Russell was taken to the Columbia County Jail and is awaiting his first appearance in Columbia County Circuit Court on a number of counts relating to mail thefts in Columbia County.

This investigation is still ongoing, so new charges and arrests are possible.

According to the announcement, a substantial amount of mail has been recovered, and detectives have identified other victims who may be unaware that their mail was taken. Detectives will contact the victims in the near future.

Anyone with information about these mail thefts is requested to call Detective Brian Loewenhagen at (608) 742-4166.

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