According to a Floyd County Police Department incident report, On December 19th, 2022, at 1:39 PM, Officer Kelsi Wade was dispatched to address Fouche Gap Road in reference to a theft. While en route, dispatch informed me that the complainant stated the vehicle drove toward Big Texas Valley Road. The complainant stated that she witnessed a dark blue Chrysler, possibly with two doors, and an older female in the vehicle wearing a pink sweater steal the mail out of her mailbox and then leave the scene. While driving South on Big Texas Valley, Officer Wade observed a two-door dark blue vehicle at the stop sign at Texas Valley Rd going to turn right onto Big Texas Valley Road with a female driver wearing pink. Officer Wade initiated a traffic stop and then made contact with the driver, identified as Cindy Gayle Walton, 46, of Rome, and passenger Jessie Donovan Teal, 35, of Rome. Officer Wade reported, “[I] described that [I] was given information on a female wearing pink stealing mail from a residence. Walton quickly became extremely defensive and immediately told me that [I] did not have consent to search the vehicle. [I] requested to see the mail that was placed on the dash to verify addresses with the individuals in the vehicle. At this time, [I] requested another unit to assist me in the investigation.” Officer Bleecker then arrived on the scene and assisted. During a probable cause search of the vehicle, officers located on the passenger side floorboard a large purple duffel bag containing an assortment of mail and packages that did not belong to Walton or Teal. Officer Wade was also able to locate the stolen mail from the victim’s residence. Walton informed Officer Wade that the female that was stealing the male was dropped off “somewhere on Texas Valley” but could not give her an exact location. Walton then attempted to take all of the charges and stated that “it could not be burglary because we did not get out of the vehicle.” Teal, the owner of the vehicle, was awake and allowed Walton to use his duffel bag to hide the stolen mail that was placed by his feet. According to the report, “Walton and Teal’s story changed multiple times while they were speaking with Officer Wade and Officer Bleecker. There were 48 pieces of mail and 7 packages in total that were located inside the vehicle. There were several address that stretched across Floyd County to include; Fouche Gap, Texas Valley Road, Big Texas Valley, and more. Inv. Webb and Sgt Holbrook took possession of a total of 55 pieces of mail and packages, and it was returned to the rightful owners. Walton was booked into the Floyd County Jail, charged with five counts of felony theft by possession of stolen mail and felony theft by taking from a residential mailbox. Teal was charged with being a party to the crime. According to Floyd County Jail records, Walton was arrested in December for stealing a wallet from a vehicle, and in September, she sold meth to a police informant.
Rome pair arrested after stealing a large amount of mail and packages from homes in Floyd County
