Alton juveniles charged in connection with thefts from mailboxes

ALTON — Two juveniles from Alton, ages 12 and 14, were charged with theft on Oct. 23 in connection with a series of mailbox burglaries on Bennoch Road.

Over the past two months, the Maine State Police and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office received calls from Alton residents reporting missing packages, said Cpl. Ryan Fitch of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office. Police found the majority of the missing packages in addition to unreported thefts with mailing addresses for Bennoch Road and surrounding side streets. 

Stealing mail is a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine, or both.

The juveniles, who were released, will appear in court in December. 

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says on its website thousands of people are arrested for mail and package theft each year. It warns postal customers to promptly pick up mail from their mailboxes and doorways; deposit outgoing packages and mail in their mailboxes as close to postal pickup time as possible; and to contact the sender if expected mail does not arrive in a timely fashion.