COEUR d’ALENE — Authorities are investigating after checks believed to be stolen from Kootenai County mailboxes were cashed out of state.

Lt. Zach Sifford said the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office responded in the early hours of May 22 to a report that two drop boxes outside the Hayden post office had been vandalized. The vandalism occurred the night before. 

“Somebody used a prying tool and opened the drop boxes and stole some mail,” Sifford said. 

Similar incidents occurred at other mailboxes throughout the county, Sifford said, and local authorities are investigating in conjunction with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. No suspect has been identified so far, but there has been recent activity related to the stolen mail. 

“Some of those checks have been fraudulently written and cashed in Texas,” Sifford said.

Coeur d’Alene resident Norman Ferguson suspects three checks he mailed were among those stolen. 

After his debit card was declined when buying groceries last Sunday, he went to his bank Monday to find out what was happening. 

“I about passed out when they asked me at the bank if I’d written a $58,000 check,” he said. “I was shocked.” 

Ferguson said three checks he’d mailed May 17 or 18, which were dropped in the same box and never arrived at their destinations, had been “washed” of details like the amounts and payees. From there, it appears someone rewrote the details and attempted to fraudulently cash them. 

Though he was able to resolve the matter with his bank, Ferguson said he was frustrated to learn about the theft only because an unknown person attempted to cash a fraudulent check, leaving his bank account overdrawn by about $55,000. 

“All I want is some accountability as to what’s happened to my first-class mail that a criminal gets a hold of a check made out to Macy’s and is able to wash the check and perpetuate a bank fraud for $58,000,” he said.