Police: Flowery Branch man charged with identity theft, suspected of stealing checks

While he currently faces one count of identity theft, authorities believe a Flowery Branch man may have stolen checks out of several mailboxes in south Hall County.

 

Investigators with Oakwood Police and the Hall County Sheriff's Office arrested Charles Quentin Malin, 38, on Friday.

 

Malin allegedly stole a check in Gainesville, altered it and used a counterfeit ID to purchase merchandise at the Walmart in Oakwood on March 27.

 

In an interview with AccessWDUN, police Sgt. Danny Sridej said officers identified Malin as their suspect when investigators from both departments compared notes.

 

"We received the name that Charles Malin may be involved.  Based on that information, we looked at the photographs and our agency had arrested Charles Malin for a similar incident back in August of last year.  That's how we were 100 percent able to know that it was him."

 

Sridej said additional charges from Hall County authorities are forthcoming.

 

"Between Oakwood and Hall County Investigators, we recovered several altered stolen checks that were supposedly taken from the mailboxes, and those cases are being handled by Hall County investigators."

 

Sridej said Malin also allegedly passed a stolen check at Walmart in Commerce.

 

Sridej wants anyone in Hall or neighboring counties who have had mail and/or checks stolen between February and April to contact local law enforcement.

 

"Citizens (should) drop off their important mail, especially the mail that contains checks, at the post office or post office drop box to prevent theft," Sridej wrote in a media release.