A federal grand jury has indicted a U.S. Postal Service worker who allegedly dumped mail into a DeKalb County ditch, authorities said.
The accused mail carrier, Thomas Beaurem, was arraigned Monday and pleaded not guilty to the charge of unlawfully delaying and destroying mail.
In October, video surfaced showing a postal worker dropping several bins of mail near a fenced area. The mail was supposed to be delivered to residents in Longview Walk, a Decatur subdivision. U.S. Postal Service investigators found about 4,500 pieces of undelivered mail in the ditch.
Some of the mail was too badly damaged to deliver, federal authorities said. Mailings that were not damaged were delivered to their intended recipients.
“People rely on postal service employees to safely deliver their important letters and packages,” U. S. Attorney John Horn said in a statement. “Beaurem allegedly violated this trust by dumping over four thousand pieces of mail in a wooded area in Decatur.”
Beaurem, 25, of McDonough, who worked part time for the U.S. Postal Service, is no longer delivering mail, the agency said.
“The overwhelming majority of Postal Service employees are honest and dedicated public servants who are worthy of our trust,” U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General Special Agent in Charge Paul L. Bowman said. “However, when we receive allegations of mail delay or destruction, our agency will aggressively investigate these matters to protect the overall integrity of the Postal Service.”
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