DALLAS — A U.S. Post Office highway contract driver is accused of stealing mail headed to Indianapolis from Austin, federal court records show.
The mail was found in an empty suite in Dallas, officials say.
Christopher Reed faces a federal charge of theft or receipt of stolen mail, court records show. Instead of delivering the mail, Reed is accused of unloading the truck in Dallas.
When investigators found the mail, some parcels had been opened. Some of the mail pieces included financial documents, court records say.
Around 3 p.m. Thursday, a postal inspector was informed people were unloading mail from an 18-wheeler in an alley near the 7500 block of South Lancaster Road in Dallas, according to court records.
Investigators learned that the mail was being unloaded from the trailer into two white cars parked nearby, the affidavit states.
The incident occurred near a carwash called "Rob’s Kustom Wash, Godly Clean," according to court documents.
Reed was spotted in the area talking to several men and exchanging money with one of them, documents state.
One of those men was identified as Robert Fisher, the owner of the car wash, officials say.
Reed and Fisher were seen leaving the parking lot separately, court records state.
After the incident, Reed was contacted by U.S. Postal Inspectors at a truck stop near the 8181 block of South Lancaster Road.
Authorities say Reed told officials he left Austin around 9 a.m. Thursday and made his way to Dallas.
According to court records, he showed inspectors paperwork that stated his trailer was 60% full of outgoing mail when he left Austin.
But when Reed showed inspectors his trailer they say it was missing the seal on the door and did not appear to be a 60% load of mail, according to court documents.
Officials say Reed couldn’t explain what happened to the missing mail or why the seal was missing.
Authorities were able to talk to Fisher that same day, documents state.
Fisher told officials he was at the car wash when two males who go by the names "Pee-Wee" and "P.A.T" arrived in a truck tractor pulling a semi-trailer.
Fisher said he didn’t see any words or numbers on the tractor and thought the “Pee-Wee” and “P.A.T” were riding with the driver of the trailer.
Pee-Wee told Fisher that the truck driver was willing to "sell the load" on the trailer but needed somewhere to put it, documents state.
That’s when Fisher agreed to open the door to a vacant suite next to his new business at the 7544 block of South Lancaster Road.
At that point, three men unloaded the mail into the empty suite. Fisher admitted to officials he unloaded some of the mail as well, the criminal complaint states.
Officials say pieces of missing mail were found inside the building.
Court records show Reed was arrested but then released Friday by a judge.
His next court date has not been determined.
