By Delayna Earley
The Island News
A former mail carrier at a Beaufort post office was fired just before Christmas and is under investigation by federal postal authorities for alleged mail theft, according to officials.
The woman, who worked at the Charles Street post office, was terminated around Dec. 23 and is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Beaufort Postmaster Dylan Allen said.
No charges have been filed as of press time.
Stealing mail is a federal crime that can carry penalties of up to five years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.
The Island News is not naming the woman because she has not been charged with a crime.
A search of Beaufort and Jasper County court records showed no prior criminal history for the former mail carrier.
Less than two weeks after her termination, the woman was stopped by a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputy Saturday morning for a defective taillight, according to an incident report.
During the stop, deputies found four pieces of mail believed to be stolen and a substance that tested positive for crack cocaine inside her 2000 Subaru hatchback.
Lt. Danny Allen, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said the amount of suspected crack cocaine found in the vehicle was enough to test and confirm its presence but not enough to bring charges.
“There was residue present that tested positive, but there was none left after field testing to charge her,” Allen said.
The woman was released from custody with a warning for the equipment violation.
The traffic stop occurred around 11:20 a.m. near the intersection of Sams Point Road and Sea Island Parkway (U.S. 21) on Lady’s Island.
According to the incident report, the woman told deputies she was a mail courier headed to lunch when questioned about the right-hand steering wheel in her vehicle.
After a supervisor informed deputies that she had been fired, officers requested a K-9 to inspect the vehicle, citing what the report described as “multiple lies” during the stop, including providing an outdated home address.
Allen said any potential charges related to the alleged mail theft would be handled separately by postal authorities.
“Anything involving stolen mail will be addressed by the post office,” he said.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
