Sheldon, Iowa — An arrest has been made in the ongoing case of reports of package thefts in Sheldon.
The Sheldon Police Department has filed multiple criminal charges against a Sibley woman for her alleged involvement in the thefts.
Officers charged 43-year-old Becky Lynn Vander Plaats with Theft in the 3rd Degree, an aggravated misdemeanor. Authorities believe that she was involved with at least nine of these thefts. She was also charged with nine counts of Simple Misdemeanor Trespassing.
The Sheldon Police Department received twenty-six separate reports from residents who had packages stolen from the front entry areas of their homes between December of 2013 and February of 2015. The packages had been delivered to the homes by several different shipping and postal delivery services. The packages contained a variety of items including clothing, electronics, craft items, shoes, tools, and numerous other miscellaneous items.
Officers executed a search warrant at Vander Plaats’ home at 526 Ninth Avenue in Sibley, and seized numerous items of an evidentiary value from the home.
Vander Plaats will be required to appear in court on a future date to answer to the charges.
Assisting the Sheldon Police Department were deputies from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Department and the O’Brien County Sheriff’s Department.
The police department wants to remind the public that a criminal charge is merely an accusation and that all persons are innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
