The probation department will conduct a presentence investigation and report.
Parks was accused of using social media to conspire to rob letter carriers and take their arrow, or route, keys.
Parks reportedly used the keys to steal mail from U.S. Postal Service collection boxes and then searched the stolen mail for checks.
Parks and his accomplices would alter the checks and then attempt to deposit or cash the fraudulent checks, according to court records.
A U.S. postal inspector connected Parks to two armed robberies of mail carriers in Dayton.
One was reported around 12:43 p.m. on Nov. 26, 2022, and the second was at 2:08 p.m. on Oct. 14, 2023.
The first incident was in the 2200 block of Ravenwood Avenue in Dayton.
A letter carrier was delivering mail on foot when he was approached by an unknown man. The man showed a gun and demanded the carrier’s arrow key, according to court records.
After taking the key, the man ran to a waiting vehicle and fled.
About four months later, Oakwood police conducted a traffic stop on a Chevrolet Malibu for improper display of a license plate.
Parks and another man were reportedly inside the Malibu.
During the traffic stop, Parks gave police permission to search the vehicle. Officers found stolen mail in the vehicle and arrested Parks and the other man, according to court documents.
Police also reportedly found an arrow key hidden in between the other man’s cellphone and its protective case. The key matched the one stolen during the Ravenwood Avenue robbery.
The second incident took place in the 4600 block of Merrick Drive in Dayton.
Three men approached a mail carrier and one of them put a gun to the carrier’s chest and said, “Give me the keys or I’ll pop you,” according to court records.
The carrier gave the man his arrow key and the key to his delivery truck.
Investigators obtained surveillance footage of two of the suspects just prior to the robbery.
They reviewed Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway information about Parks, who previously was caught with stolen mail, and noted he matched the description of one of the suspects in the Merrick Drive robbery.
Parks was wearing a hoodie in his driver’s license photo that also matches a hoodie worn by one of the suspects in the Merrick Drive robbery, according to court records.
Investigators learned Parks used two Instagram accounts to plan letter carrier robberies with others, according to a criminal complaint.
He also reportedly discussed the fallout from the Merrick Drive robbery on the social media app.
Parks and another individual talked about working together to cash an altered check and Parks received a picture of a check, according to court documents.
Parks was arrested after a warrant was served in April.
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