PALATKA, Fla. – The United States Postal Service on Tuesday announced it’s offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible after two postal workers were robbed at gunpoint in Putnam County.
The first armed robbery was reported on Nov. 17 near the intersection of North 18th Street and Ocean Street. The second happened Nov. 21 on Forest Glen Drive, and a map shows it appears to have occurred at or near the Forest Glen apartment complex.
The person the Postal Service is looking for in the Nov. 17 robbery was described as a Black male with a medium build between 6-feet and 6-feet 2-inches tall. He was said to have been wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants and a black neck gaiter. He also wore dark sunglasses.
The person in the Nov. 21 robbery had a nearly identical description with only one difference — he was said to have a slim build.
Notably, investigators can’t say for certain if they’re two different people or the same person.
The undercover federal agent investigating these cases, who spoke to News4JAX on a condition of anonymity, pointed out that the USPS delivers to more than 163 million locations daily.
“Anytime there is any kind of disruption to mail delivery via weather-related or crime-related, it can obviously impact delivery routes and delivery areas. So, crimes like this can potentially impact individuals expecting mail or sending out mail,” the investigator said.
The agent says armed robberies on mail carriers don’t always result in packages being stolen. He said that in many cases, robbers only go after personal items that belong to the mail carrier. He also said robberies don’t necessarily spike this time of year when more people are mailing gifts ahead of Christmas.
“We’ll go several years with no armed robberies and then there will be a couple in quick succession,” the investigator said.
If spotted, the USPS said no one should approach the suspect. Anyone with information is urged to call USPS at 1-877-876-2455 and say “law enforcement.” They’re asked to reference case number 3905901-ROBB.
All information shared will be kept confidential, USPS says.