AUSTINTOWN TWP., Ohio - Police in Austintown suggest that apartment tenants mail their rent payment checks or deliver them in person to their landlord after a rash of thefts in the township.

On Friday, the manager of Westchester Apartments told police he sent a 30-day late payment notice to about thirty residents, only to discover that the tenants claimed to have placed the rent checks into the office drop box the week before.

Police believe someone is using tools to go through the mail slots of the apartment offices to snag mail from the drop boxes when they think no one is around.

The tenants told the manager that someone had been cashing or attempting to cash the stolen checks at area banks.

Police say multiple apartment complexes were hit, giving the criminal an easy way to make a couple thousand dollars in one theft.

 If you see anyone who looks like they don’t belong, police ask that you call police dispatch at 330.799.9721 and report it.