MONROE, CT — Police detectives, banks and the U.S. Postal Service are investigating a rash of thefts from mailboxes in town, where thieves altered and attempted to cash checks.
Police Lt. Michael Sweeney said he believes the thefts are connected. He suggests sending mail from a Postal center or from a U.S. Postal Service mailbox and, if mail is sent out from one’s own mailbox, not to leave it out overnight.
All six thefts were reported on Thursday.
A 44-year-old Penny Lane woman told police she wrote a $475 check out to a company and put it in her mailbox for pick-up on Oct. 26. Several days later, she received a Citibank notification of an attempted withdrawal of $9,114 from her account.
She contacted her bank to dispute the amount. An investigation found someone had altered the check and changed the recipient to a man who is not known to her. There was no financial loss.
A 60-year-old Hillside Lane woman was notified of an attempted $9,300 withdrawal from her People’s United Bank account. An image of the check revealed it was the same one she wrote for a $150 vehicle loan payment on Oct. 28, police said.
She placed it in her mailbox for pick-up that day. The altered check was made out to an unknown female. There was no financial loss.
A 73-year-old Porters Hill Road woman was notified by People’s United Bank of someone attempting to cash a $13,000 check from her account. A digital image of the check verified it was one she made out to a school for $100 and placed in her mailbox on Oct. 27.
Police said the altered check was made out to an unknown man.
A 68-year-old Captains Hill Road man mailed out a parcel to a someone, which contained a $375 check from his Newtown Savings Bank account. Police said he later found it was altered to $8,700, and made out to an unknown female.
There was no financial loss, police said.
A 66-year-old Osborn Lane man mailed out a $5,181 check, payable to American Express, from his People’s United Bank business account on Oct. 31. Police said it was altered to pay the same amount to an unknown man. There is no financial loss at this time.
A 65-year-old Barn Hill Road man made out a $179 check to Eversource from his Bank of America account and mailed it out on Monday, Oct. 31, when it was stolen from his mailbox, police said.
The check was altered to make $19,500 payable to a female who is unknown to the victim, according to the report.
Toddler injured in crash
A 31-year-old Bridgeport woman and her five-year-old son were taken to Bridgeport Hospital by Monroe Emergency Medical Service personnel following a two-vehicle-crash in the 200-block of Hattertown Road early Tuesday morning.
Police said the mother had a possible injury and her son had “a suspected serious injury.” Her six-month-old daughter and the other driver, a 65-year-old Monroe man, were not hurt.
At approximately 7:47 a.m., police said the woman headed north on Hattertown Road, toward Newtown, in her 2001 Honda Passport when the rear of her vehicle slid on the wet road as she negotiated a curve.
Her Honda hit a rock on the side of the roadway, causing it to travel into the south bound lane and strike a 2022 Audi Q7 driven by the Monroe man, police said.
The woman was issued an infraction for traveling too fast for conditions.
Distracted driving, rollover crash
A 57-year-old Monroe man told police he attempted to read a text message while driving south on Route 111 in his 2017 Honda CRV Wednesday afternoon, when he looked up and realized his vehicle crossed over the double yellow center line.
The Honda crashed into the front of a 2017 GMC Yukon in the north lane, causing the Yukon to rollover, before coming to rest in the south lane, while facing south, police said.
The driver of the Yukon, a 48-year-old Shelton woman, was taken to St. Vincent’s Medical Center by the Monroe Emergency Medical Service for treatment of possible injuries, police said.
The Monroe man was not injured, police said, adding he received an infraction for use of a handheld device, distracted driving.
The crash occurred near the intersection with Pond View Road, just before 2 p.m.
Identity theft
A 39-year-old Naugatuck woman told police she believes her two credit cards were stolen sometime during visits to a daycare center and a doctor’s office on Main Street in Monroe, because she left her purse unattended at both places.
According to her complaint filed Tuesday, several fraudulent charges were made on both cards. There is no financial loss at this time, but the charges are pending, police said.
The case was referred to her credit card companies’ fraud departments and the Monroe Police Detective Division is also investigating.
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