VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Volusia County deputies are searching for a man they said impersonated a power worker before approaching and robbing an 87-year-old with a handgun in his DeLand garage.
The sheriff’s office said the robbery occurred around 1 p.m. Wednesday at a home on Twin Oaks Drive.
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The senior victim said the suspected robber entered his garage and lured him out of his home by saying he represented Duke Energy and had to do tree work on the property, according to investigators.
Deputies said the wanted man “produced papers showing a ‘work order,’ then pulled out a firearm and pointed it at the victim, saying: ‘I want your money.’”
The victim then handed over some money, deputies said. According to the sheriff’s office, the man then tried to enter the senior’s home before he yelled for help, causing the suspected robber to flee and hop in a waiting truck driven by another man.
“Residents should ask for identification from utility workers seeking access to their homes,” sheriff’s officials said in a statement. “Sometimes criminals work in pairs, with one person distracting the resident while the other goes around to the back of a home. Please call the Sheriff’s Office if you witness something suspicious.”
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to email Detective Lee at RLee@vcso.us, call the sheriff’s office’s non-emergency number at 386-248-1777, or contact Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida at 888-277-8477 (TIPS) or through the P3 crime tip app for a potential cash reward.
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