Vivian man sentenced for assaulting postal carrier

By Web staff

Click here for updates on this story

    SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — A Vivian man has been sentenced to federal prison for assaulting a postal carrier, U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown said Thursday in a news release.

Derrick J. Thomas, 28, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. to 11 years, five months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment in September, charging Thomas with assault with a deadly weapon. He pleaded guilty on March 22.

According to information presented to the court, on Aug. 12, a rural carrier working at the Vivian Post Office, was on her route when she passed Thomas sitting outside his residence, which was abandoned. She parked nearby to begin to deliver mail on the street.

Soon after, the postal carrier was driving away when flagged down by Thomas, who then stabbed her in the shoulder with a 10-inch butcher knife. The postal worker, who was five months pregnant at the time, hit the accelerator before Thomas could stab her a second time.

The incident was reported to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Thomas was subsequently charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

“Our federal employees and contractors must feel safe while in the course and scope of their employment,” Brown said. “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 case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Louisiana State Police and the Vivian Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cytheria D. Jernigan.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.