King faces additional felony charges for mail theft, forgery

A Lincoln woman arrested July 12 for felony drug possession is facing new felony changes for mail theft and forgery stemming from a June 1 stop by a Lewis and Clark County Deputy in Helena.

Deputies charged Michelle Candace King with felony theft, felony forgery and misdemeanors for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia on the morning of July 13, after the deputy who had been investigating the mail theft learned of her drug arrest.

According to court documents, Deputy Niel Marks stopped King June 1 after she appeared to be avoiding him, at the time, she was driving a car that matched the description of a vehicle believed to be involved in incidents of mail theft around the county.

At the time of the stop, Marks discovered mail that didn't belong to King in the car, which she said she had been paid to deliver. According to the arrest affidavit, King refused to allow Marks to search the vehicle. She was allowed to leave, but Marks seized the car as evidence and applied for a search warrant.

During the subsequent search of the vehicle, Marks discovered more than 100 pieces of mail that didn't belong to King, along with checkbooks and checks that appeared to be forged, as well as four grams of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

The arrest affidavit said the owner one of the checkbooks said she neither knew King, nor should she have had the checkbook.

The Sheriff's office had been trying to contact King, but were unable to locate her until her arrest two weeks ago.

King was charged with felonies because the value of the checks and stolen mail exceeded $1500.