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Lewd letter sent to Treasure Coast girl came from a man in Pennsylvania who later took his own life

Posted at 4:48 PM, Apr 25, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-25 20:02:45-04

A standoff outside a home in Hazleton, Pennsylvania earlier this month ended when 46-year-old Joseph Polin, took his own life.

An investigation found Polin had been mailing explicit letters to teenage girls in nearly 30 states and 3 countries.

At least one of the girls that Polin was apparently stalking, lived in Martin County.

The letter, on pink paper, was addressed to a now 19-year-old from Palm City.  It arrived a few days after the Pennsylvania standoff.  Her mother opened it since her daughter was away at school.

Martin County Detective Anthony Blachowski said Polin never had contact with the girl, but hinted he’d known her a long time.  “Telling her he’s been following her for the last seven years even though she didn’t know.”

The letter also contained a collage.

“They appear to be pictures of the girl from her social media accounts.  They appear to be public profile pictures," added Detective Blachowski.

Polin appeared to have done some personal background searches.  The letter contains full names and possible addresses of several of the targeted teen's friends.  The letter is vulgar in parts and also makes a reference to kidnapping.

“He very easily could have come down to Florida if he had that intent and tried taking her," said Detective Blachowski.

The girl's mother did not want to talk about the case.  Detectives say it’s a good reminder to be wary of what you put out on social media.