The Pelham Police Department urges residents and business owners to be attentive when mailing or receiving checks and banknotes.
Early Saturday morning, Pelham Police officers observed a suspicious vehicle loitering around mailboxes in a Pelham commercial business area. As officers moved to contact the occupants, the vehicle attempted to flee the area. The vehicle was stopped, and officers located several checks in their possession that were stolen from mailboxes in Shelby County.
The pair were identified as Deneco Johnson and Darrium Woodall of Atlanta, GA. They have been charged with receiving stolen property and additional charges are pending in both state and federal court. It’s interesting to note that this is the third time in recent weeks involving Georgia residents traveling to Pelham for the sole purpose of stealing checks from the mail. These stolen checks are typically altered and cashed for significantly higher amounts resulting in monetary losses for both businesses and individuals.
Here are four things you can do to protect your money:
- Don’t allow mail to remain in mailboxes overnight.
- When mailing something of monetary value, take the item to the post office and drop it into the box inside the facility.
- Monitor your accounts.
- Notify the police if you suspect you’re a victim of fraud.
Here are the mug shots of the two men arrested on Saturday, April 15, 2023 in Pelham:
Denico Johnson of Atlanta, GA was arrested in Pelham and charged with receiving stolen property. Additional charges are pending in both state and federal court.
Darrium Woodall of Atlanta, GA was arrested in Pelham and charged with receiving stolen property. Additional charges are pending in both state and federal court.
