The U.S. attorney's office in Little Rock says four defendants have been indicted for their alleged involvement in stealing mail from local mail receptacles.
Byrannia Burks, 20; James Miller, 26; Kobe Powell, 24; and Eshawn Tucker, 21, all of Little Rock, have been charged by a grand jury with possession of stolen mail. Tucker and Burks were also charged with unlawful possession of a mail receptacle key.
Miller, Powell and Tucker were all previously charged in criminal complaints filed July 18. All three, along with Burks, were subsequently indicted earlier this month by a federal grand jury in Little Rock. Powell appeared in court Friday, and Miller, Tucker and Burks will be arraigned by United States Magistrate Judge J. Thomas Ray later this month.
Powell and Miller were indicted on charges of possessing 77 pieces of stolen mail and Powell was indicted on a second count of possession of an additional six pieces of stolen mail. Tucker was indicted on one count of possession of 152 pieces of stolen mail and one count of unlawful possession of a postal key. Burks was indicted on one count of possession of 109 pieces of stolen mail and unlawful possession of a postal key.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed last month in federal court, Powell and Miller were arrested July 18 by U.S. postal inspectors after the two were seen entering a collection box at the Westside Post Office on Huron Lane in Little Rock. When officers attempted to approach them, the affidavit said, the two fled in a black Ford Crown Victoria, leading police on a brief chase that ended less than a mile and a half away when they crashed into a residence at 1510 Breckenridge Drive.
The pair were arrested when they emerged from behind a neighboring residence, the affidavit said, where police found a Glock pistol equipped with a "Glock switch" mechanism to convert the pistol to automatic fire and an extended magazine. Inside the car, the affidavit said, officers found a postal service tub of the type found inside collection boxes and a quantity of stolen mail from other collection boxes.
The previous night, according to another affidavit, Tucker was apprehended by police after crashing a Lexus SUV during a chase that began at the same collection box at the Westside Post Office. The affidavit said Tucker and an unidentified passenger arrived at the post office shortly before 9 p.m. on July 17 while police were watching the box. Using a Postal Arrow Key, which he is not permitted to have, Tucker entered the box as police watched and began dumping mail into the vehicle, the affidavit said. The mail included a GPS tracking device that was put into the box earlier by police.
The affidavit said Tucker then fled the area a short distance to the parking lot of Market Street Plaza where he rammed a U.S. Secret Service vehicle and fled again. The affidavit said Tucker was arrested after he crashed the SUV again and tried to hide out in a vehicle parked in a nearby lot after he asked the occupants to give him a ride.
No details were available regarding Burks' arrest and she did not show up on the online jail roster of the Pulaski County jail. According to the federal court calendar, she is scheduled for a plea and arraignment hearing at 10 a.m. Aug. 16 before Ray. Her case is assigned to Chief U.S. District Judge D. Price Marshall Jr.
Court records indicated that Powell pleaded innocent Friday to the charges against him and a bond hearing has been scheduled for Monday at 2 p.m. in Ray's courtroom. His case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge James M. Moody Jr. Molly Sullivan with the Federal Public Defenders Office in Little Rock has been appointed to defend Powell.
Court records showed no arraignment date set at this time for Tucker or Miller and that neither has hired an attorney nor had one appointed by a judge. Tucker's case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Kristine G. Baker and Miller's case is assigned to Moody. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jana Harris is prosecuting all four defendants.
"The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will spare no effort to solve crimes affecting the U.S. Mail, the Post Office and its customers," said Thomas Noyes, inspector in charge of the Fort Worth Division, in a press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Little Rock. "It's unfortunate when mail thefts occur, but these arrests reflect the ongoing efforts and resolve Postal Inspectors maintain to arrest those responsible. We thank our federal, state and local law enforcement partners for their assistance, in addition to the U.S. Attorney's Office, for their commitment to prosecuting cases of this nature."
If convicted, each defendant faces potential penalties for possession of stolen mail of not more than five years imprisonment and for unauthorized possession of a mail receptacle key of not more than 10 years imprisonment. All charges carry a fine of not more than $250,000 and not more than three years of supervised release.
The release said the case is being investigated by the United States Secret Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Arkansas State Police and the Little Rock Police Department.