Police nail more charges to Staunton mail theft ring

By: Chase Purdy | News Virginian
Published: August 24, 2010

Arrested for the fifth time this month a Staunton woman topped more than 30 charges in a mail theft case, police said.

Staunton police arrested Melissa “Joy” Nofflett, 33, of Staunton, Thursday on charges of hit and run, reckless driving, forgery, larceny and violating the terms of her release from jail, authorities said.

“On [Tuesday] she went into a store to attempt to purchase cigarettes with cash and a check,” said Officer Lisa Klein, Staunton police spokeswoman.

“They recognized her and refused to cash the check.”

According to documents filed in Augusta County Circuit Court, Nofflett and several others stole checks from mailboxes and put them through electric check transfer machines at area Food Lions to get cash back.

Police said the alleged thefts started in June.

Staunton police Officer J.L. Campbell interviewed Nofflett on Thursday, where she named Hillary Reed, 31, of Staunton, as her latest accomplice, according to a search warrant.

“Nofflett, who has already been charged previously over the last few weeks, admitted to conducting more criminal activity,” the warrant states.

Nofflett told Campbell she and Reed “smoked crack cocaine” at Reed’s apartment Aug. 17, then drove a car down a street and hit a mailbox.

According to the warrant, Reed got out of the car and retrieved two checks from the mailbox and tried to cash them at three different Food Lions.

Police hope to find more information from electronic equipment they seized from Reed’s apartment, the warrant states.

“The computer information is important if they used the victim’s identity on the Internet to defraud the victim,” Campbell wrote.

Waynesboro police earlier this month filed seven charges against Reed and April Renee Brown, 28, of Stuarts Draft.

Reed is charged for a mail theft on Summit Drive and Brown for a theft from Hopeman Station, both of which occurred July 26, police said. The charges include larceny, forgery, uttering and obtaining goods by false pretenses.

The women were charged earlier this month in Staunton along with Nofflett and Dion Lamar Sanders in similar cases.

Police last month arrested Sanders on charges he broke a man’s nose. Sanders’ mail thievery arrest violated the terms of the bond set in the attack case, police said.