Ozark Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Postal Carrier

 SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An Ozark, Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court today to assaulting a postal carrier who was delivering his mail.

Peter Harrington, 55, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to one count of assaulting an employee of the United States.

By pleading guilty today, Harrington admitted that he assaulted a U.S. Postal carrier on Dec. 4, 2020. As the carrier stopped to deliver mail to the assisted living facility where Harrington resided, Harrington charged toward him, demanding his mail. Harrington began hitting and striking the postal carrier in the head. The carrier turned towards his mail truck and tried to cover up to protect himself, but Harrington continued to strike him repeatedly. When the carrier gave Harrington his mail, Harrington was angry that he only received one envelope and walked away while being verbally belligerent.

An Ozark police officer observed bloody abrasions and contusions to the postal carrier’s ears, face, and the back of his left hand.

Under federal statutes, Harrington is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Ozark, Mo., Police Department.