McAllen postal worker indicted on mail theft charges

FOR THE RECORD

McALLEN | MAIL THEFT

A federal grand jury has indicted a McAllen postal employee on 10 counts of mail theft.

Richard Anderson Jr., 58, of Harlingen, stands accused of taking more than 150 department store gift cards from local mail funneled through McAllen's main post office at the intersection of Pecan and Bicentennial boulevards between December 2007 and last month, according to court documents obtained Thursday.

Agents with the U.S. Postal Service's Office of the Inspector General recovered several of the stolen cards during Anderson's arrest April 16. They also found pawn shop receipts for jewelry and other stolen items that Anderson admitted to taking, the documents state.

He remains free on a $30,000 bond and is due in court for an arraignment hearing next week.

If convicted, he could face up to up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

EDINBURG | FATAL CRASH

Police have identified a 64-year-old man who was fatally wounded when he was struck by a car on McColl Road between Hobbs Street and West Canton Avenue.

Tommi Agatha Wright, who police believe was homeless, died about 10 p.m. Wednesday after he was struck by a white Oldsmobile that was northbound on McColl Road. The car's driver stopped to help Wright and will not face charges, said Peter De La Garza, assistant chief of Edinburg police. Justice of the Peace Charlie Espinoza pronounced Wright dead at the scene.

Authorities said they received reports of a drunk man walking in the area, and they found a flask of vodka in Wright's pocket. He was not carrying identification.

Investigators have yet to determine whether alcohol was a factor in the incident, according to a statement from police officials.
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Monitor staff writers Jeremy Roebuck and Zack Quaintance compiled this report.