Louisiana Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years for Assaulting a Postal Carrier

Louisiana – On August 4, 2022, United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that a Louisiana man has been sentenced for assaulting a postal carrier. Derrick J. Thomas, 28, of Vivian, Louisiana, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. to 137 months (11 years, 5 months) in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.

In September 2021, a federal grand jury issued an indictment charging Thomas with assault with a deadly weapon, and he pled guilty on March 22, 2022. According to evidence given in court, on August 12, 2021, a rural carrier associate working at the Vivian Post Office began servicing her mail route in Vivian, something she had been doing for the previous two years. The rural postal carrier spotted Thomas sitting outside his house (which was an abandoned house) shortly after commencing the route that morning and stopped nearby to begin delivering mail to the street.

Soon after, the mail carrier got back into her vehicle and started driving again, but she came to a halt when Thomas flagged her down. Thomas was carrying a 10″ butcher knife and stabbed the mail carrier in the right front shoulder. The mail carrier was 5 months pregnant at the time of the stabbing. The carrier sped up and drove away before Thomas could stab her again. The incident was reported to the US Postal Inspection Service, and Thomas was charged with assault with a deadly weapon following an inquiry.

“Our federal employees and contractors must feel safe while in the course and scope of their employment,” stated U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “This is especially true when our employees are working in rural areas where law enforcement resources are limited. This defendant, without provocation, committed a violent, inexcusable crime and deserves every day in the jail that the court gave him. We will continue to prosecute those who commit such heinous acts against federal workers.”

The US Postal Inspection Service, Louisiana State Police, and the Vivian Police Department investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Cytheria D. Jernigan.