MARYSVILLE – It looked like a display from an office supply store: a printer, copier, shredder, paper cutter and more.
Police found the collection Sunday, fully functional, in the back of a sports utility vehicle.
They believe it was an identity-theft and check-forgery operation on wheels, Marysville police Cmdr. Ralph Krusey said.
“It’s the first one that we’ve seen, so I would think it was unusual,” he said.
Two men have been booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of first-degree identity theft, forgery and drug trafficking.
Someone called police Sunday morning after watching two men in a Chevy Tahoe tinkering with the dashboard, according to court documents.
Police arrested the men after they found drug paraphernalia, including what appeared to be methamphetamine. The men also were wanted on warrants, the papers said.
After obtaining a search warrant, police found the office supplies in the back of the vehicle, Krusey said. They also found checks and opened mail they believe had been stolen.
The truck apparently was purchased using a forged check, Krusey said.
Police believe the suspects, a Marysville man, 25, and an Everett man, 40, were using the office equipment to forge checks on the fly, he said.
The discovery is a good reminder to use caution when sending or receiving mail.
People should try to use locked mailboxes, if possible, Krusey said. When mailing checks, it’s best to drop them in a locked mailbox or at the post office.
The arrests were made thanks to an alert person calling police to report suspicious activity, Krusey said.
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