Gunman Hits 3 Stores, Faces Life Behind Bars

⏱ 3 min read

Michael Woulard, 49, is looking at a potential lifetime in federal prison after admitting to a three-county crime spree. Between October 2023 and February 2024, Woulard brazenly robbed a Jacksonville pawn shop, then two jewelry stores – one in Jacksonville, one in Ocala – all while waving a semi-automatic pistol in the faces of employees. He was pinched on February 21, 2024, still holding onto the loot from the Ocala heist.

The first hit was October 10, 2023, at a Jacksonville pawn shop, netting Woulard around $45,945 in goods. He upped the ante November 25, 2023, at a Jacksonville jewelry store, walking off with a staggering $352,000 worth of bling. He didn’t stop there. On February 20, 2024, he targeted a jewelry store in Ocala, pilfering another $364,000 before being caught the next day.

Woulard wasn’t working alone. Erica Jordan Patrick already pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the November jewelry store robbery, acting as eyes for Woulard, scoping out the store and flagging specific items. Investigators from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Ocala Police Department, working with the FBI and Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, quickly connected the dots and brought Woulard in for questioning, where he confessed to the jewelry store robberies.

Facing a minimum of 14 years and potentially two life sentences plus another 20 years, Woulard awaits sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Mesrobian is handling the prosecution. The feds haven’t announced a date yet, but one thing’s for sure: Woulard’s days of hitting up jewelry stores are likely over.