Man Arrested For Stealing Checks, Forging: Police

DULUTH, GA — Gwinnett County Police have made an arrest in a mailbox package theft and forging case.

The lead detective assigned to this criminal investigation identified the suspect as Eric Smith, 51, of Atlanta. Smith was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail Friday. He was charged with two counts of theft by taking, misdemeanor, and two counts of possession of tools for the commission of a crime.

On Dec. 2, 2018 and Dec. 9, 2018 the man is seen getting out of the front passenger seat of a silver Ford Focus at 4040 S Berkeley Lake Road in unincorporated Duluth.

The man used a key to enter a USPS mailbox and steal the packages and contents inside. It appeared that the suspect had what appeared to be white USPS boxes in the trunk of the vehicle. This person is not an employee of the USPS, according to police. One of the items taken from the mailbox was business checks. The checks were later fraudulently altered and cashed in the Atlanta area.

SEE ALSO: Checks Swiped With Use Of Mailbox Key, Later Forged: Police

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Photos courtesy Gwinnett County Police Department