IRONTON, Ohio (WSAZ) -- Two employees at one post office are accused of stealing, in one case from a package containing medicine for a veteran.

Patrons at the Ironton Post Office don't think twice about trusting employees there with their mail.

They were stunned to hear two postal workers were arrested, accused of theft.

"You never expect that of a federal employee because of federal background checks they have to go through," Mike Pearson said after dropping off some bills.

According to Public Information Officer Scott Balfour with the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Herbert Dalton is charged with falsifying sales transactions and stealing nearly 800 dollars from the postal service.

Dalton worked at the post office customer desk.

Temporary letter carrier Forest Halterman was charged in a separate incident.

Halterman is accused of stealing from a petty cash fund at the post office, as well as stealing a parcel that contained prescription medicine being shipped from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs to a veteran who lives in Ironton.

Johnny Hackworth is a veteran who gets medicine in the mail for his cancer every month. He says for a fellow vet to be the victim of this kind of theft is appalling.

"Veterans don't deserve to have their medicine stolen,” he said before picking up his mail. “They have to have that medicine every month. It disappoints me to find that someone is taking stuff."

Special agents are continuing investigations of missing money from the Ironton Post Office.

Halterman turned himself in last Thursday and pled not guilty in Ironton Municipal Court, Balfour said. Dalton was arrested Wednesday and has not appeared in court yet.

Both are now off the job pending the outcome of their cases.