NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — A former U.S. Postal Service mail carrier pleaded guilty to improperly destroying mail.
Court documents show that on Dec. 9, 2023, 31-year-old Michael Thirkield, of Hampton, dumped several boxes of mail into a dumpster in the Forest Lake Court area in Newport News.
That was the last day Thirkield showed up for work. He left his USPS satchel on his porch with a handwritten note stating, “For the mail carrier.”
Two days later, a USPS customer service supervisor was able to recover 1,296 pieces of first-class and pre-sorted mail from the dumpster.
Thirkield faces up to five years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 26, 2025.