Woman charged with stealing mail, drug possession during traffic stop in Long Grove
LONG GROVE, Ill. (CBS) – A woman is arrested and charged with stealing her neighbor's mail in Long Grove, the Lake County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday.
Gabriella Pollari, 44, of Long Grove was arrested around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday.
The Sheriff's Office received calls of a suspicious vehicle lingering around several mailboxes in the area of Schaeffer Road and Manassas Lane.
One of the callers was able to obtain the vehicle's plate information and relayed it to authorities.
The sheriff's deputy assigned to Long Grove responded and located the vehicle in the area of Bridgewater Lane and Gettysburg Road and conducted a traffic stop.
While speaking to Pollari, the deputy observed drug paraphernalia and drugs inside the vehicle.
The deputy conducted a search of the vehicle and located mail and packages containing sensitive information - including social security numbers, tax documents, and checks belonging to residents in the area.
Pollari was arrested and charged with identity theft, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, and a misdemeanor charge of unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
The office says additional charges are possible.
Sheriff John D. Idleburg said, "The community plays a significant role in reporting crimes and suspicious activity. Thanks to this alert member of the community calling us to report what they saw, and our deputies working hard to locate the vehicle, we were able to arrest this person stealing other people's mail. Great job to everyone involved."
The U.S. Postal Police have been contacted and are also investigating.
Residents in this area with missing mail are advised to contact the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Pollari remains held in the Lake County Jail pending an initial court hearing Thursday morning.