KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Tens of thousands of dollars in rent checks were stolen from local apartment complexes, according to the Kent County Sheriff’s Department.
The exact amount is unclear, but the checks were stolen from designated drop boxes. Kent County undersheriff Jon Hess said the thefts occurred between November 2nd and November 4th.
About 4 or 5 different apartment complexes in the northeast Grand Rapids area were targeted. Hidden Valley Townhomes, Pine Ridge, and Hidden Creek apartments are three places FOX 17 has been able to confirm.
The undersheriff said the apartment managers started noticing that a large number of people were late on their rent. They looked further into it and realized the payments had been stolen.
FOX 17 spoke with a resident whose money order was among those taken.
“We just learned that people had been raiding [rent drop] boxes,” Richard Terrell, a Hidden Valley resident said.
He said he couldn’t see how someone could do that with “people’s hard earned checks and money for their rent.”
A resident at Pine Ridge told FOX 17 that he was told to cut another check for rent, and he was advised to get a new checking account.
Employees at each apartment couldn’t say much. However, one employee said that the complex may consider a more secure method of collecting rent. The Kent County Sheriff’s Department is investigating.
