Smiths postal carrier robbed, locked in mail truck for hours

Donathan Prater
Staff Writer
Published: July 24, 2008

Lee County Crime Stoppers and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are offering a reward for information after a Smiths Station postal worker was found locked in a postal vehicle.  The postal carrier was not injured in the incident.

According to a release from the sheriff’s office, at approximately 1:50 a.m. Thursday, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call from the Smiths Station Post Office reporting the back door of the Lee Road 430 office was open and a postal truck was parked at the rear near the loading dock area with engine running with no driver around. When deputies arrived, they discovered the driver of the postal truck locked in the rear of the vehicle. According to the sheriff’s office, the driver told authorities that at about 6 p.m. Wednesday evening, as he was loading the truck, he was approached an unknown male approximately 6 feet in height and weighing 190 pounds. The driver also described the man as wearing a bandanna over his face, sunglasses, blue jeans and a white shirt.

The man, armed with a handgun, pointed the weapon at the postal carrier and demanded several postal bags, according to the report.

The gunman then locked the postal carrier in the back of his company vehicle before fleeing the scene. According to the report, the man made off with several bags of mail and an undisclosed amount of cash.

“This particular crime appears to have been planned,” said Capt. Van Jackson of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. “The person or persons responsible for this seem to have some knowledge of the operation of the postal carrier they targeted.”

And now the Lee County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help. Anyone with any information should contact Lee County Crime Stoppers at 1-888-522-7847.

The Postal Service is offering up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible in this case, said to Tony Robinson of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

The sheriff’s office and the postal service are investigating an incident that left a Smiths Station postal carrier locked in his vehicle evening as an assailant made off with several bags of mail and an undisclosed amount of cash.