Woman accused of stealing packages

A Kirtland woman was indicted in federal court on charges that accuse her of stealing packages from Lake County homes.

Cleveland.com reports Corey L. Whalen, 18, is charged with aiding and abetting the theft of mail and possessing stolen mail, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Thursday in a news release.

Whalen worked with a group to steal a package Nov. 27 in Painesville and a letter Dec. 5 in Mentor, the news release says.

The investigation is ongoing. Investigators said last week that they have received reports of similar thefts of packages in the area.

The Mentor Police Department said last week that Whalen waited in a car while a 10-year-old boy stole packages delivered to homes in that city.

Witnesses say the boy, who is related to Whalen, taking packages from porches. The witness called 911 as the boy got into a red Toyota Corolla, police said.

Authorities stopped the Toyota and found Whalen and the boy with 21 packages that had shipping labels to nearby addresses. The content of the packages had a total value of more than $1,200, police said.

She was charged with theft, receiving stolen property, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, possessing marijuana and possessing marijuana paraphernalia before the case moved to federal court.