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The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office arrested two suspects for multiple mail thefts at the Spanish Lakes Country Club Tuesday.

"When economic times get tougher, people turn to more opportunities with regard to crime," Chief Deputy Brian Hester of the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, said.

Officials allege that 31-year-old Emmett Dacey and 33-year-old Sheryl Snyder stole 11 checks from 11 different victims. Deputies said the residents in the community were mostly senior citizens.

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Investigators said Snyder was driving a silver 2002 Honda Accord with a Florida license tag 03AXRR in the Fort Pierce neighborhood, while Dacey was walking in front of the car, going through the line of mailboxes with red flags up. Neighbors soon began to notice this suspicious behavior and immediately called 911.

"If you do not do online banking, do not put that red flag up, sending that beacon to thieves, ‘here’s my mail and here’s my checks.’ Go ahead and take a little extra time, drive your mail to the post office," Sheriff Ken Mascara said.

"We believe there may be additional victims and we encourage anyone with information potentially regarding mail theft or door cam videos or anything they might have that can tie these two suspects to any other cases, to please contact us," Hester said.

Both suspects have been taken to the St. Lucie County Jail. Snyder is held on a $72,750 bond, and Dacey is being held on a $10,750 bond.

Officials said Snyder's bond was set higher as she was found trafficking fentanyl among other drugs. Deputies said she attempted to give a false name to law enforcement officials, and also has an outstanding warrant in Martin County.

The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office said this year, they did not have any reports of mail theft until April. Soon enough, however, they began investigating two cases in April and five cases in May.

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As for the case at the Spanish Lakes community, officials said the 11 checks have totaled less than two to three thousand dollars.

"It’s not the amount that matters. It’s that information on the check that Chief Deputy explained. It’s their name, their addresses, their routing number. And then prolific mail thieves, what they do is they have a washing system in their vehicles that they then wash the amount off the check and change it to $550 instead of $5," Mascara said.

The Port St. Lucie Police Department has also been investigating similar 'check washing' cases in the past few months.

Officials released surveillance video showing a black car passing by one victim's residence on the 1800 block of SW Success Street on March 24th. Investigators said the victim learned that a business check of $14,312.46 he wrote to a vendor was then cashed to a different payee.

Law enforcement officials advise the community to stay alert to avoid being a victim of mail theft.

"Lock in mailboxes, it allows the postal carriers to put mail in through a slot but someone can’t just open your mailbox and take that out," Hester said.

Officials also found a stolen handicap license during Dacey and Snyder's arrest. Throughout the investigation, they have determined this was not their first time attempting to steal other people's mail.

If you believe you are a victim of mail theft, contact the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office or the Treasure Coast CrimeStoppers.

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