A Michigan man was charged Friday with allegedly assaulting a mail carrier over a “Kamala Harris for President” mailer that the mail carrier delivered to his mailbox.
Russell Frank Valleau, 61, of Farmington Hills, Michigan, was charged by Oakland County, Michigan Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald with assaulting a mail carrier.
“The defendant was allegedly upset that he had received mail regarding presidential candidate Kamala Harris and allegedly said that he did not want that ‘black b****’ in his mailbox,” according to press release from the Oakland County, Michigan prosecutor’s office said. “He then called the mail carrier a ‘black b****’ and threatened the carrier. The mail carrier used pepper spray to stop the defendant.”
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Am I missing the description of the assault? The story doesn’t mention him laying hands on her or spitting or anything. Honestly from the account presented it sounds like he was assaulted. He does sound like a racist asshole, but is that assault?
Technically assault does not require contact:
Some jurisdictions have the misdemeanor charge of ‘menacing’ for when contact isn’t made.
TIL. Thank you for clarifying that for me.
https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/postal-carrier-assault-kamala-harris-flyer/
There is is. If this article hadn’t omitted the whole ‘lunging at her with a knife’ bit, the assault charges would be obvious. Props to CBS for being able to provide what used to be the bare minimum. Thank you PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works
Depends on the state. Most states from my understanding work like this:
Threatening to throw a rock and/or actually throwing it is assault. When / If the rock hits them then that’s battery.
So in this case the threat of violence is the assault. Had he actually made contact then it would have been battery too.