Worker linked to theft of stickers Etna custodian faces felony charges

ETNA – A local woman has been charged with aggravated forgery, a Class B felony, for allegedly stealing vehicle registration stickers from the town office.

Tara Madore, 23, a custodian who cleaned the town office two hours a week, was arrested last week in connection with the taking of six registration stickers from the office, according to prosecutors. If convicted, she could face up to 10 years in jail or a $10,000 fine. Under federal law, aggravated forgery applies when there is intent to commit fraud or deceive using a written instrument.

Madore was free on bail for a Class B drug trafficking charge when arrested, and remains at the Penobscot County Jail awaiting a hearing on a motion to revoke her bail, according to Patrick Larson, assistant attorney general. Larson is the prosecuting attorney for the drug charges.

She is scheduled to appear in court on March 9 for the trafficking charge.

In December, rumors surfaced that money and registration stickers had been stolen from the office, which prompted an investigation by the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Town Manager Evelyn Serval said.

Madore was suspended from her job pending the results of the BMV investigation, and the Board of Selectmen requested a background check. Madore was fired after town officials received the results of the background check, Serval said.

As a custodian, Madore had keys to the building in order to clean the building after operational hours. Since her termination, the office locks have been changed and the stickers are locked up in a vault at the end of the day, Serval said.

Madore allegedly gave at least one person some of the stickers, but no one else has been charged in the crime. One recipient returned stickers to the town office, and the town has not lost any revenue as a result of the incident, Serval said.

One 2007 sticker was for a vehicle, and three 2008 stickers were suitable for a trailer or motorcycle, she said.

The state believes it has recovered all of the stolen stickers, according to Assistant Secretary of State Catherine Curtis.

The registration stickers themselves are worth just 25 cents apiece, but income could be lost since excise taxes and other fees are charged when vehicles are registered.

“The investigation is complete and now we wait for the court system,” Serval said.