FARMINGTON – Thanks to the public’s help, a woman selling magazine subscriptions door to door who allegedly stole cash from a homeowner on Saturday in Farmington has been arrested on a charge of misdemeanor theft.
Shaleen Hensley, 19, of Texas, was arrested following a tip from an Oakland resident who called police after reading about the story published in news outlets over the weekend.
Farmington Police Officer Ed Hastings had asked the public for help in identifying a woman who said she was selling magazines for Atlantic Circulation, Inc. This came after a Farmington homeowner said a woman whom she had asked into her home had, at some point while she was trying to sell her a magazine subscription, took a stack of cash off the table. The homeowner noticed the cash, totaling less than $500, was missing after the sales woman left and called police.
A magazine sales woman fitting the description showed up at the door of an Oakland resident, who then called the Oakland Police Department. Police officers responding were able to locate the woman going to door to door in Oakland and called Officer Hastings. Although she looked similar to the suspect, Hastings said, it turned out she wasn’t the same woman reported in Farmington. They did, however, find out another woman fitting the description who was sharing a motel room in Lewiston with her. Both women were selling subscriptions for Atlantic Circulation, Inc.
Hastings interviewed the suspect at the Lewiston motel and arrested her. It turns out that there are 30 people working in the central Maine area selling magazine subscriptions, Hastings said.
“People should use caution when anyone comes to the door. They’re not always who they say they are,” he said.
