A 27-year-old Sequim resident was arrested for booked into the Clallam County Corrections Facility for two counts of forgery and two counts of theft on June 9.

Richard Hedrich of Sequim was the subject of a Clallam County Sheriff’s Office investigation after a Sequim resident on May 24 reported theft of mail from his home’s mailbox.

According to the sheriff’s office, the victim placed outgoing payments — in the form of personal checks — for bills in his mailbox.

The stolen checks were then altered and deposited by way of an ATM deposit into a checking account at KeyBank.

Further investigation into the incident revealed there have been multiple additional victims of similar incidents in Clallam County. The common theme in each of the cases, sheriff’s office officials said, is that the victims’ outgoing mail was stolen from their mailboxes and that checks meant to pay bills were stolen.

The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office reminds residents that mail theft is a recurring problem in rural counties.

“We would encourage you to mail your outgoing mail directly at a Post Office facility or postal drop box,” the sheriff’s office noted in a press release. “If you receive your mail at your residence, a locking mail box is strongly advised.”