A woman has been charged with stealing a check from outgoing mail. Police said she forged the check and cashed it in.

In October, the Franklin Township Police Department was contacted by a family member of a victim reporting that a check had been stolen from outgoing mail and was subsequently forged and cashed.

Through the course of the investigation, Sara Mertz, 56, formerly of Franklin Township, was identified.

Mertz has been a suspect in six other like investigations conducted by the Franklin Township Police Department.

Mertz has been charged with two counts of forgery; and one count each of criminal use of a communication facility; access device fraud; theft by unlawful taking; and receiving stolen property.

Mertz has been lodged in the Carbon County Correctional Facility from a previous incident, and was subsequently arraigned on these charges.

She is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing before District Judge William J. Kissner of Palmerton.