Columbia County Sheriff's Office IDs Trio Involved in Large-Scale Mail Theft Ring

Police have arrested three people during the past week who they say were part of a mail theft ring that included stealing money via fraudulent checks.

The trio's victims were in Columbia, Multnomah and Washington counties, according to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.

Rodney Oates, no age given; Charles Lockridge, III, no age given; and Michael Welch, 30, were all taken into custody between Jan. 7 and Jan. 12 after police say they were found with mail that didn't belong to them. It reportedly stemmed from residents in Scappoose, St. Helens, Warren, Columbia City, Portland, Beaverton and Hillsboro.

"Last week, deputies began investigating an incident where a a Warren residen thad three personal checks stolen from her mailbox and deposited at a US Bank ATM in St. Helens, (Oregon)," said a sheriff's office news release. "... The checks were deposited into the personal account of a male named Rodney Oates."

After auditing Oates's personal account, investigators found that there were twenty stolen checks deposited between Dec. 3, 2016 and Jan. 3, 2017.

"Photographs obtained by ATM cameras from each deposit revealed that four different people made deposits and or cash withdraws from Oates's account," the release said, identifying Welch, Oates and Lockridge III.

A fourth suspect remained unidentified as of Monday.

Deputies and members of the St. Helens Police Department executed search warrants at two St. Helens residences on Jan. 7 and found "large amounts of stolen mail and check stubs." Oates was present and taken into custody for his involvement in the case. He was later released pending completion of the investigation.

Charles Lockridge III was located and arrested on Jan. 11 while walking back to his St. Helens apartment. He remained in custody on Monday. Welch was arrested on Jan. 12 when a Columbia County sheriff's deputy responded to a call about a potentially intoxicated driver who crashed near the intersection of Bennett and Old Portland roads.

Law enforcement officials say the vehicle Welch was driving was a Ford F150 that was reported stolen out of Hillsboro. He was taken into custody and the stolen truck was seized as evidence.

Deputies executed a search warrant Monday on the stolen truck, recovering a significant amount of stolen mail. They are continuing to investigate the incidents and contact victims.

"The suspects have been found to target mail boxes, steal mail, and search for checks in the stolen mail," the release said. "The suspects then take the checks to an ATM, deposit them, and immediately withdraw cash from the ATM. They then return to the bank within days and withdraw more money from the account once the check clears."

The total amount stolen from the suspects is still unknown but remains part of the ongoing investigation.