Cedar City woman indicted in mailbox thefts, fraud

SALT LAKE CITY — A Cedar City woman faces a dozen criminal charges alleging she stole checks from mailboxes and used them at several southern Utah banks.

A federal grand jury returned a 12-count indictment Wednesday charging Katherine Marie Hansen, 29, with possession of stolen mail, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and possession of methamphetamine.

The indictment alleges Hansen stole checks, written on other people's bank accounts, from mail boxes or receptacles. It also alleges she forged and used or attempted to use the stolen checks, drawn on customer accounts at Wells Fargo, State Bank of Southern Utah and Mountain America Credit Union, to pay for merchandise, services and to get cash. Along with two counts of possession of stolen mail and six counts of bank fraud, Hansen is charged with two counts of aggravated identity theft. She also faces two counts of methamphetamine possession.

Police say that in addition to stealing mail from curbside mailboxes, Hansen also "fished" mail out of blue collection letter boxes.

Hansen, who is in custody, will have an initial appearance in federal court next week in St. George.

The case is being investigated by U.S. postal inspectors, the Iron County Sheriff's Office, and the St. George Police Department.