By GABRIEL GOODWIN
Sunday Times Newspapers
ALLEN PARK — Police arrested a postal employee after he allegedly struck a female worker over a possible practical joke Oct. 29.
Police received the complaint about the alleged assault at the United States Postal Service Detroit Network Distribution Center, 17500 Oakwood Ave., about 11:25 p.m. Upon arrival, police spoke with a manager that said the two individuals had been separated and began to interview the man involved.
He told police he was preparing to go to lunch when he could not find his coat or car keys and believed the female employee took them as a joke. He jokingly took her lunch about a week before, he said, which led him to believe she took his coat.
When the man confronted her about his coat, he said she denied taking it. He told police he was positive she took his coat and keys and proceeded to smack her in the back of the head hard enough to make sure he connected.
The woman confirmed the confrontation between her and the man about the coat. She told police she had not left her work area all day and could not have taken his belongings. After the brief argument, she said the man walked away but returned about three minutes later and smacked her in the head.
She said some co-workers intervened, but the man told them to stay out of it then stuck his hands in her apron and took out her cell phone. She alleged he called her an obscenity and slammed the cell phone on the ground.
Police spoke with seven witnesses and took their written statements. All the witnesses confirmed the man assaulted the co-worker and smashed her cell phone. The coat and keys were recovered and the man was arrested for the assault and breaking the woman’s phone. The man was processed and held without bond.
USPS management confiscated the man’s badge, so he could not gain access to the premises.
(Gabriel Goodwin can be reached at [email protected].)