Michigan man accused of attacking Black postal worker with knife over Kamala Harris election mailers

Prosecutors said that Russell Frank Valleau, 61, had hurled racial invective at both the mailwoman and the presidential candidate

A mugshot showing Russell Frank Valleau, 61, the man accused of attacking a postal worker with a knife (Farmington Hills Police Department)

A Michigan man is accused of attacking a Black postal worker with a knife because he was furious about receiving political mail adverts for Kamala Harris.

Prosecutors in Farmington Hills, a suburb of Detroit, charged 61-year-old Russell Frank Valleau on Friday with assault and ethnic intimidation, the latter of which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.

Valleau was reportedly arrested the previous evening after hurling racial abuse at a US Postal Service mail carrier and "lunging" at her with a blade, forcing her to fend him off with her service-issued pepper spray.

A statement from Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald alleged that this was not merely a case of a citizen tired of election season and the flood of flyers that comes with it.

"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**ch' in his mailbox," McDonald said.

"He then called the mail carrier a 'black b**ch', and threatened the carrier. The mail carrier used pepper spray to stop the defendant. When police arrived, the defendant was found nearby."

According to a police statement seen by Law & Crime, the mail carrier called for help at around 5pm saying that the man was angry about receiving Harris campaign ads and seemed to be drunk.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris boards Air Force Two in Las Vegas, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, en route to Washington. ((AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster))

After getting a face full of pepper spray, Valleau reportedly ran away and was later discovered and arrested in a neighbor's yard.

Public records seen by The Independent describe Valleau, a registered voter, as a white man with brown hair and blue eyes, 5ft 10in tall and weighing 155lbs.

They also show a decades-long history of criminal arrests and convictions, ranging from aggravated stalking through domestic violence to firearm possession by a felon.

“In this highly charged political moment, everyone has a right to their political opinion and vote," said McDonald on Friday.

"Whatever our political beliefs, no one should be assaulted or threatened because of their race, or for doing their job. Hate crimes impact all of us, and we will vigorously pursue all such cases."