A man who assaulted a mail carrier and was pepper sprayed for his efforts has been charged with possession of stolen mail, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court.
Jacob Scott Reeves faces up to five years in prison for the crime and up to a $250,000 fine.
According to court documents, a U.S. postal inspector was told on Dec. 29 about an assault on a postal carrier that occurred the afternoon of Dec. 24. The carrier was assaulted while delivering mail on his route by a man taking mail from a mailbox that was not his.
The man, identified as Reeves, was arrested by the Cheyenne Police Department on a charge of assault. According to a report made by the CPD, the mail carrier was delivering mail when he approached a man taking mail from a box that was not his.
According to an interview with the mail carrier, while delivering mail, he spotted Reeves a distance away. He stopped to ask if he could help Reeves, who had mail in his hand that he had retrieved from the locked mailbox. The mail carrier said Reeves was able to get his fingers into the box and remove some pieces of mail. The mail carrier said Reeves had seven or eight pieces of mail in his hand.
Reeves began to approach the mail carrier and pulled a black folding knife from his pocket, saying “I’m going to [expletive] kill you” as he approached. The mail carrier sprayed Reeves with pepper spray multiple times and Reeves left in a vehicle.
The mail carrier went to call the police, but learned another person had already done so.
The mail carrier took photos of the vehicle and the license plate, which he provided to police. A witness to the assault was also interviewed by police.
On Jan. 4, the mail carrier was interviewed by postal inspectors and said he had no issues since the assault. He also said he believed that Reeves was searching for checks in the mailbox.
The mail carrier also said that he had never seen Reeves on his route before. He also believed the witness who first contacted police saw Reeves searching a mailbox across the street before the assault took place.
While the mail carrier had never seen Reeves before, he knew someone with the same last name received mail at a nearby address. He also said he was considering different employment, as he did not want to keep looking over his shoulder.
