Mail is stolen from city dental offices
By John Joyce
Published in News on August 27, 2014 1:46 PM
Nine mailboxes outside the offices at Wayne Dental Center, 2300 Wayne Memorial Drive, were pried open and robbed Sunday.
Dr. Dwight Smith, a dentist at the facility, which houses several practices, said a crowbar likely was used to force the boxes open.
According to a Goldsboro police report, each of the mailboxes likely contained checks.
"If any of our patients sent checks in late last week, they may have been stolen," said Dr. Richard Cooke, whose office was one of the dental practices affected by the thefts.
Dr. Carlton Adams, who works with Smith at Smith and Adams Family Dentistry, reported the crime. Adams discovered the theft at 9 a.m. Monday, according to the report.
Adams told police the mailboxes were last known to be secured at 7:10 a.m. Sunday. The potential value of the checks was unknown.
Both Adams and Cooke recalled a similar incident several months ago, which prompted the dentists to purchase locking mailboxes to replace the open access ones that were outside the office.
"But I guess the locking ones only keep out honest people," Cooke said.
No magazines were removed from the mailboxes, just letters, leading the dentist to believe the crooks knew just what they were looking for -- insurance checks.
Patients should not worry, however, about any private information being released by the dental offices.
"The only information (the suspects) might have is whatever someone writes on a check they sent in to us," Cooke said.
He also said if there were any bank statements in the mailboxes, the businesses might have had their bank accounts compromised.