LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Benjamin Gregory Shirley, 41, of East Lansing, has been sentenced to greater than a 12 months in jail after attacking a postal employee who didn’t give him a parcel containing fentanyl.
“My office stands ready to investigate and prosecute those who assault federal workers; no one should be subject to attack simply for doing their job,” stated U.S. Lawyer Timothy VerHey, whose workplace prosecuted the case. “Further, my office is dedicated to combatting fentanyl trafficking, particularly through the U.S. Mail. Postal workers should be able to come to work and do their jobs without the fear of violence or drugs.”
Courtroom data say that Shirley organized fentanyl to be shipped to him from Tennessee by way of the U.S. Postal Service to a not too long ago opened P.O. Field on the Eas Lansing Publish Workplace. Nonetheless, the parcel was mistakenly addressed to a special P.O. Field than the one in his identify, and when the employee advised him she couldn’t give him the parcel, he grew to become “agitated.”
He then proceeded to climb over-the-counter and try to drag the parcel from the clerk’s arms.
After the altercation, postal inspectors obtained and executed a warrant to look the parcel and located fentanyl hid in a teddy bear.
Officers say Shirley has a “lengthy” legal historical past, and that his sentence is supposed to replicate the seriousness of his offense.
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is firmly committed to protecting our postal employees and ensuring the safety of every Post Office across the country,” stated Sean McStravick, the performing inspector in control of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Detroit Division. “We are going to proceed to carry offenders accountable and stay targeted on our mission to safeguard the mail and the staff who serve the American public daily.”
