Caretaker attacked at Volusia County storage unit

Trio forces man into storage unit, robs him

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office is looking for three men who held up on Tuesday a 61-year-old man who works as a caretaker at a storage unit complex.

Paul Jones works at Highbank Mini Storage on Sanctuary Avenue and lives on property.

"He helps all of us. He does our yard, he house-sits, he dog-sits," said Barbara Brocious, neighbor.

Brocious said around 1 a.m., Jones knocked on her door.

"He had a towel and he was bleeding and he said 'Ms. B, can you call 9-1-1? I've been jumped,'" she said.

Deputies said the three masked men managed to sneak into the storage facility, hide from the cameras and knock on Jones's door. They screamed his name and asked for help until Jones opened the door.

"They stuck a gun in his ear so badly that his ear is all cut up. They hit in the head with according to Paul, some PVC pipe," said Brocious.

Deputies said the men asked for money again and forced Jones into his storage unit.

"In his storage unit he has a Thunderbird in there and apparently, they locked him in the Thunderbird a couple of times," said Brocious.

Once Jones got locked in his trunk, investigators said the men who wore blue latex gloves, rummaged through the unit and the trailer before they opened the trunk where they kept Jones and took off with some of his things.

"They took all those keys to the storage facility, both his cellphones, his billfold which had $26 in it and his pants," said Brocious.

Jones is at Florida Hospital Fish Memorial and suffered lacerations on his head.

"It's extremely frightening, extremely. Everyone in this whole area is very concerned for his well-being. I just hope they find them," said Brocious.

If you have any information on this case, please call the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
 


About the Author

Loren Korn is a native Texan who joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2014. She was born and raised in Houston and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Journalism.

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