Mail carrier faces theft charge

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MCCORDSVILLE — A mail carrier pleaded not guilty to theft Tuesday amid allegations he stole gift cards out of greeting cards he was charged with delivering in McCordsville.

Brett A. Teeters, 34, of Pendleton, faces charges of official misconduct and three counts of theft: one Level 6 felony and two a Class A misdemeanors, according to court documents. He also faces charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia after investigators found drugs while searching his residence for mail, court documents state.

Law enforcement agents working within the U.S. Postal Service began investigating Teeters after receiving a call from a Missouri resident who complained the letter he mailed in early April was never delivered to his son in McCordsville.

The letter reportedly contained two $100 gift cards from home improvement stores, and the recipient was a resident on Teeters’ route, court documents state.

Postal Service agents used the gift cards’ account numbers to determine they were used in central Indiana, and video surveillance from the stores reportedly showed Teeters making purchases within a few days of when the mail went missing, Hancock County Prosecutor Brent Eaton said.

In addition, four postal service tubs containing packages and correspondence destined for addresses on Teeters’ assigned route were found abandoned in a wooded area in McCordsville on April 18, Eaton said. Among these mailings were two U.S. Treasury tax-refund checks for more than $2,000. Eaton said officers were working to determine if anyone attempted to deposit those checks.

Search warrants were issued for Teeters’ home and vehicle this week. More tubs of McCordsville mail were found at the home, court documents state. Investigators also found five more used gift cards, marijuana and drug paraphernalia in his vehicle, which was searched at the McCordsville Post Office.

Teeters appeared in court Tuesday for an initial hearing in Hancock County Superior Court 1, where he pleaded not guilty to all charges. He faces up to 3½ years in prison and $15,000 in fines.

Teeters returns to court May 27.