A China woman is facing nearly a dozen felony charges in connection with a string of burglaries this summer that resulted in the theft of nearly $30,000 in property from unlocked homes.

Meagan Emery, 22, was charged Wednesday with five counts each of burglary and theft by unauthorized taking, Kennebec County Interim Sheriff Ryan Reardon said.

Emery has been held since Nov. 10 at the Kennebec County jail on a probation violation.

Emery has “admitted to stealing items from homes to support her heroin addiction,” Reardon said in a news release.

The charges against Emery are the result of a multi-agency investigation into a series of home burglaries that occurred during the summer of 2015. A total of 10 homes in Chelsea, China, Sidney and Vassalboro were broken into.

“The residential burglaries were during the day and occurred when homes were left unlocked,” Reardon said.

The burglars made off with more than $29,000 in personal belongings, including cash and a gun. Police were unable to recover any of the possessions.

“There was a firearm that we believe was traded for drugs,” Reardon said. “Jewelry was melted down and sold for scrap. Other items were pawned or sold privately.”

Reardon said additional charges, against Emery and others, are possible at the end of the investigation, which also includes Augusta police and Maine State Police.

Reardon said the arrest is further evidence of the growing heroin problem and its role in driving criminal activity.

“Again, these crimes are heroin-related,” he said. “They were committed in an attempt to support her addiction.”