An Indiana mail carrier is facing criminal charges after being accused of paying a man to throw away 11,000 pieces of mail and hiding another 6,000 at home, The Indianapolis Star reported.
Kristopher Block, 39, of LaPorte allegedly paid a man to throw away the mail in Michigan. He was charged with a felony for official misconduct and a misdemeanor for theft, according to online records from LaPorte Circuit Court.
"Looks like I'm going to jail," Block reportedly said when he was confronted by police,” the Star reported.
Authorities began investigating in February 2017 when a deputy with the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan found several tubs of undelivered mail in a ravine, the Star reported. After the bundles were returned to the LaPorte Post Office, it was determined that Block was the assigned carrier.
After first denying that he was not involved, Block changed his story when police showed him 150 pieces of the recovered mail. Block then told police he paid a friend $50 per bundle to burn the mail in Michigan, the Star reported.
According to court documents, Block said he had fallen behind in his delivery schedule. He would give his friend one bundle at a time during his lunch break to be burned, noting that he began the routine during the summer of 2016. He resigned from the post office on Feb. 7. 2017, the Star reported.
Police said they have not found Block’s friend, the newspaper reported.
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