ATLANTA - Kendrick Watkins and Charles Jackson have been indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy, armed postal robbery, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, in connection with the robbery and near-fatal shooting of a postal truck driver in Conley, Ga., on Dec. 20, 2013.
“The victim in this case--an on-duty postal employee--was shot, bound, and left for dead," said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. “Postal Service employees should not have to work in fear of attack as they carry out their duties. We will prosecute violent criminals with such little regard for human life."
“The safety and security of Postal Service employees and customers is core to the mission of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service," said George Frazier, Assistant U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office. “These types of crimes against postal employees are rare, but when they do occur, they become top priority for us."
According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges, and other information presented in court: On Dec. 20, 2013, a postal truck driver conducting a routine mail pick-up in Conley, GA, was approached by two robbers, Kendrick Watkins, 39, of Rex, Ga., and Charles Jackson, 55, of Griffin, Ga. Jackson and Watkins demanded the keys to the postal truck, and when the victim did not immediately comply, the men shot him in the torso, nearly killing him. Jackson and Watkins also bound the victim’s feet and took his cell phone so that he could not run or call for help. They then drove away with the stolen truck and all its contents. The victim was forced to crawl several hundred feet to the nearest road where he flagged down a passerby for help.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Assistant United States Attorneys Mary Kruger and John Ghose are prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the home page for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division is http://www.justice.gov/usao/gan/.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
