HOWELL — Several residents of the Ramtown section of Howell have become victims of theft in recent months. According to the Howell Police Department, mail, specifically checks, are being stolen directly out of residents’ mail boxes.
Howell Detective Sgt. Eileen Dodd said payee information and amounts on checks are being altered.
Complaints have been filed against Helen Darden, 43, of Asbury Park, in connection with these incidents. Police said Darden is reported to have been driving a 1997 white Ford sedan bearing New York license plates.
Darden is described as a black woman, about 5 feet, 1 inch tall and weighing about 130 pounds.
Darden has been inserting her name on the payee line and using her identification to cash the checks, Dodd said in a press release. She has been captured on bank surveillance video.
Residents in Howell, Wall Township, Brick Township and Lakewood are being encouraged not to put outgoing mail in their mail boxes for pickup, and they are being asked to check their monthly bank statements for any discrepancies.
Anyone with information about these incidents or information about Darden’s whereabouts may call Howell Detective Nancy Carroll at 732-938-4575, ext. 2884.