Postal workers robbed in Cobb, Gwinnett counties

Investigators are looking into two separate robberies involving two postal workers. 

Cobb County police were called out to Adams Lake Blvd on January 29 after getting a call about a robbery involving a USPS employee. 

According to police records, the employee was robbed while in front of mailboxes in an apartment complex. She told police the man demanded her mailbox key and cell phone, and pressed a gun against her lower back. 

The key that was stolen can unlock mailboxes in the 30339 zip code.

She described the man as black, 20 to 30 years old, 5-feet-10-inches to 6-feet tall. She said he was wearing a black sweatshirt with purple shoulders, and he got away in a newer black sedan.

Police in Duluth and Cobb County said two postal workers were robbed in the past week.

Police in Duluth and Cobb County said two postal workers were robbed in the past week.

On February 1, Duluth police received a call about a postal worker who had been robbed

According to investigators, the employee was loading mail into his van at an apartment complex on Pleasant Hill Road when three people came up behind him and took his master key, personal laptop, and USPS scanner.

The key can access mailboxes in the 30096 and 30097 zip codes. 

According to the victim, all three men were wearing ski masks, and one of the suspects implied he had a weapon. At the time, that man was wearing a dark-colored jacket with dark-colored pants.

Investigators were able to track the USPS scanner and found it abandoned just about a mile away. Investigators believe the suspects were in what looks like a dark blue Dodge Journey.

Tawanda Willis lives in Duluth and said she's been a victim of mail theft in the past. She said she's learned there isn't much that can be done to deter criminals. 

"I just check my mail frequently. That's the best you can do," she said. 

Tawanda Willis has become a victim of mail theft before. So, the news that criminals robbed a US postal worker and stole his master key wasn't something she wanted to hear.

The US Postal Service is warning residents in Cobb and Gwinnett counties to be extra vigilant after the master key to access mail boxes in several zip codes were stolen.

The US Postal Service is warning residents in Cobb and Gwinnett counties to be extra vigilant after the master key to access mail boxes in several zip codes were stolen.  (FOX 5)

The United States Postal Inspection Service sent the following statement in reference to the Duluth robbery:

"The safety and well-being of Postal Service employees is a top priority for the Postal Inspection Service. Postal Inspectors are working closely with the Duluth Police Department in this ongoing investigation and to maintain the integrity of the case no further information can be provided.  We are advising anyone to follow these tips to protect your mail from thieves by picking up your mail promptly after delivery and do not leave it in your mailbox overnight. Also, if you don’t receive a check or other valuable mail you’re expecting, contact the issuing agency immediately. You can also report all suspected mail theft to the Postal Inspection Service at www.uspis.gov/report."

Anyone with information or who thinks they have been a victim of mail theft is asked to call the police departments in Duluth or Cobb County or the US Postal Inspection Service.

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