WISH-TV
A Noblesville father is on edge after a Pennsylvania man mailed a lewd letter to his teenage daughter and even attached pictures of her from her childhood.
Police in Hazleton, Pa., say 46-year-old Joseph Polin mailed similar letters to underage girls across the country.
“We found out we have 22 affected states, two different countries, involving numerous 14-year-old girls. Pictures of them, hundreds of packages, manifestos and letters that are very sexually graphic in nature,” Hazleton Police Chief Jerry Speziale told WISH-TV’s sister station WBRE on Thursday.
Authorities say an alarming social media post led them to Polin’s home on Monday. He fired at police during a standoff before killing himself.
Speziale said he started receiving calls and emails from police departments around the nation, as well as concerned parents, even as the five-hour standoff was still playing out.
But some parents are worried about the aftermath of his crimes.
Be warned that some of the details of this story are disturbing.
Chris Shinkle says he checked his mail Thursday and found a letter addressed to his 15-year-old daughter. Inside were pictures of both of his daughters dating back nine years, along with a graphic sexual letter from a man asking if the girl wanted to take a “trip out of state.”
“I even offered to pay the police to help me find out who did it. It makes you that angry, where you want to take instances in your own hands,” Shinkle said.
The return address lists a Pennsylania P.O. Box and the name Joe Polin.
Hazleton police believe it’s the same man who forced officers into a standoff before turning a gun on himself.
Police say Polin found addresses online and took pictures of girls off sites like Photobucket, MySpace, Instagram and Facebook.
“We immediately dialed 911,” said Shinkle.
He says one picture in the letter showed an edited sexual image next to a picture of his 12-year-old daughter that was taken when she was 3 years old.
“Very stripped of any protection; you can’t protect your kids. Everything’s gone,” Shinkle said about the letter.
Investigators say they’re working to ensure no lewd, edited pictures of girls are floating around online.
The letter to the Noblesville family includes pictures of the girls in their swimsuits.
Shinkle says that aside from receiving this letter, his family has never had any contact with Polin.
“I’ve got so many thoughts going through my mind. Was this guy alone? Was there more attached to this?” Shinkle said.
“Be careful on what you post because what you post when you think it’s private, it’s not private,” Shinkle said.
Shinkle says his family keeps their social media accounts private, but somehow the suspect still got those pictures.
Hazleton’s police chief says he believes Polin acted alone and no one is in any danger.
He also believes Polin had a past connection to Indianapolis.