A Farmington Hills, Michigan man is now facing serious criminal charges after allegedly assaulting a female postal carrier after receiving a flyer featuring Vice President Kamala Harris.
Authorities say Russell Frank Valleau, enraged by the particular piece of mail, reportedly lashed out with vile insults.
“I don’t want that ‘Black b***h’ in my mailbox,” the 61-year-old allegedly yelled before launching into a horrifying tirade of racial and sexual slurs directed at both Harris and the postal worker. In a moment of terror, he’s accused of coming toward the postal worker with a knife. The employee defended herself by using pepper spray to fend off Valleau, while police later arrested him in a neighbor’s yard.
“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,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald shared in a statement.
Valleau was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to charges of ethnic intimidation and assault, but the shockwaves of his actions have reverberated throughout the community. Thankfully, the postal employee was not harmed in the incident. This comes just days after the Tempe, Arizona office for the Harris campaign was shot at. Several bullet holes were visible, though no one was injured.
