The Onalaska woman facing 30 separate felony charges in Lewis County Superior Court for allegedly stealing a substantial amount of mail in Lewis County was arrested Saturday for violating her conditions of release.
Additionally, she is facing 11 new felony charges for allegedly having stolen mail in her purse at the time she was arrested and for allegedly having a baggie of suspected fentanyl pills in her bra when she was booked into the Lewis County Jail.
The defendant, Amber K. Ingram, 40, was initially arrested in January and posted $10,000 bail on Jan. 17. She was released from custody under conditions that included appearing in court for all mandatory hearings.
One of those mandatory hearings was scheduled for Feb. 16. She was not present due to a flat tire, according to court documents. The hearing was rescheduled to Feb. 23, but when Ingram did not show up for that hearing, a judge issued a no-bail bench warrant.
Defense attorney Rachael Tiller told the court Monday that Ingram was unaware of that Feb. 23 hearing.
Ingram was arrested on the warrant on Feb. 25 after the Chehalis Police Department informed the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office that officers found Ingram at a business in the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue, according to an affidavit filed in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday.
During the arrest, a deputy reportedly found more than 10 items of mail inside Ingram’s purse addressed to at least three different people. Also inside the purse were “at least three access devices and a notebook containing several people’s personal information, including their Social Security numbers,” according to the affidavit.
At the time charges were filed Monday afternoon, at least one of the new victims had told law enforcement Ingram did not have permission to have his mail or access his devices.
Ingram was booked into the Lewis County Jail just after 7:35 p.m. on Feb. 25, according to jail records.
During the booking process, Ingram was reportedly asked if she had any controlled substances on her person and was told it was a felony to knowingly bring drugs into a prison facility. While Ingram reportedly said she didn’t have any drugs on her, jail staff notified the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office a short time later that they had found “a small baggie containing seven blue pills” believed to be fentanyl in Ingram’s bra.
“Ingram had previously told the jail that she frequently uses fentanyl,” according to the affidavit.
On Monday, the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office charged Ingram with 10 counts of second-degree identity theft and one count each of mail theft, second-degree possession of stolen property and possession of a controlled substance while in a correctional facility.
Each charge is considered a class C felony, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Judge Joely Yeager set Ingram’s bail for the new case at $100,000 on Monday – twice the amount suggested by Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office.
“Not only did she fail to appear multiple times … she’s alleged to be committing new criminal law violations,” Yeager said on Monday. “I have a lot of concern about her being released.”
Even though bail has been set in the new case, Ingram will be held at the Lewis County Jail without bail until her initial case is resolved.
Trial in that case was scheduled to begin April 10 but will be rescheduled due to her arrest.
Arraignment on the new charges is scheduled for Thursday, March 2.
