GEORGETOWN TWP., MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Dec. 7, 2022) – Two 29-year-old men from out of state have been arrested on mail theft charges in Ottawa County.
According to Sheriff’s Detective Captain Jake Sparks, deputies were dispatched just before 4 AM last Saturday morning to a business off of Rosewood Street near 12th Avenue in Jenison. A witness noted a suspicious vehicle in the area, and although that vehicle was gone by the time deputies arrived, a large quantity of opened mail was found on the ground. The suspect vehicle was eventually spotted nearby, and after a traffic stop, the two men were arrested without further incident.
A search turned up numerous business checks apparently taken from four different businesses in that area, totaling over $50,000. Those checks were subsequently returned to the victimized establishments.
The suspects – Ahmad Malone of Waukegan, Illinois and Adebayo Babalola of Merrillville, Indiana – face a number of charges. Malone was arraigned in Hudsonville District Court on Monday and remains held on $50,000 bond, while Babaloa is free on $25,000 bond.
Sparks didn’t say what role these men may have played in a string of nearly 100 similar mailbox larcenies that has struck eastern Ottawa County since May, with local authorities working with various federal entities on the matter with possible multi-state ramifications. There have been some arrests made since this crime wave began of individuals who had attempted to cash stolen business checks locally and in other states..
Anyone with any information on this or other such theft and fraud incidents is asked to contact the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department or Ottawa County Silent Observer (877-887-4536).
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