OTTAWA COUNTY — One man is in custody for mail theft and check fraud, but the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office is working to learn if he was involved in a larger criminal operation.
On Tuesday, deputies say a bank in the Jension area notified them of a person trying to cash a suspicious check. When deputies arrived, the person had left and was nowhere to be found.
The next day, a bank in Georgetown Township told authorities that someone was trying to cash a suspicious check. This time, deputies found the man still at the bank and arrested him without incident.
Deputies say the man arrested in Georgetown Township was the same person who tried to pass a check in Jenison.
The man is a 29-year-old Grand Rapids resident, deputies tell us. Currently, he's lodged at the Ottawa County Jail on charges of Uttering and Publishing a Check, but his name will not be published pending arraignment.
However, deputies are looking into the possibility that the man is operating as part of a larger criminal operation, while they also work to learn more about the origins of the fraudulent check he tried to pass at the Ottawa County banks.
The Sheriff's Office explains that deputies have looked into approximately 10 separate mail thefts in the county, with the majority of these occurring in Zeeland and Georgetown Township.
Business checks are usually targeted, with most thefts occurring from business mailboxes.
These thefts have been taking place since August, and the Sheriff's Office has been collaborating with neighboring police agencies and the United States Postal Inspector Service, as well as the FBI and IRS.
MORE DETAILS: Checks stolen from mailboxes cost businesses hundreds of thousands
Meanwhile, the Sheriff's Office encourages everyone to avoid leaving mail in mailboxes for long periods of time or over the weekend, to be mindful of strange cars trying to get into business mailboxes, and to refrain from mailing checks with large dollar amounts.
Deputies also published a photo of a suspect vehicle possibly involved in a mail theft on October 31, 2022, in the 3400 block of 76th Avenue in Zeeland Township.
These incidents remain under investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office or Silent Observer at 1-877-88-SILENT (745368) or mosotips.com
