A drunk Michigan man lunged at a mail carrier with a knife after receiving a campaign letter for Kamala Harris.
Russell Frank Valleau, 61, became enraged and attempted to stab a Black postal worker after receiving political mail for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign.
Valleau allegedly said he didn’t want that ‘black bitch’ in his mailbox.
He then called the mail carrier the same derogatory name and threatened her, according to Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald.
During the commotion, Valleau, apparently drunk, pulled out a knife and lunged at the mailman. But she quickly deterred this attack by pulling out her postal service-issued pepper spray, Law and crime reported.
Russell Frank Valleau, 61, became enraged and attempted to stab a Black postal worker after receiving political mail for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign (Farmington Hills Police Department).
Valleau was charged Friday by Farmington Hills prosecutors with ethnic assault and intimidation. PICTURED: Vice President Kamala Harris at Wayne County Metropolitan Airport in Detroit, Michigan, on September 19
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald released a statement Friday claiming Valleau said he didn’t want that ‘black bitch’ in his mailbox. He then called the mailman the same derogatory name and threatened her. PICTURED: Photo of USPS workers in Royal Oak, Michigan
Police later found the suspect in a neighbor’s yard after he fled the scene.
McDonald wrote: ‘In this charged political moment, everyone has the right to their political opinion and their vote.
‘Whatever our political beliefs, no one should be attacked or threatened because of their race or for doing their job. “Hate crimes affect us all and we will vigorously pursue all such cases.”
Valleau’s next hearing is scheduled for October 27.
He was charged Friday with ethnic assault and intimidation; that particular charge set his bail at $25,000 and carries a maximum sentence of two years.
He is currently being held in the Oakland County Jail.
According to public records reviewed by DailyMail.com, Valleau has an extensive rap roster dating back to the 1980s.
His most recent criminal offense, which occurred around 2010, included charges of domestic violence and possession of firearms by a felon.
Valleau pulled out a knife and lunged at the mailman. But she quickly deterred this attack by pulling out her postal service-issued pepper spray, Law & Crime reported. PICTURED: Trump at a campaign event at Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan, on September 27.
Police later found him in a neighbor’s yard after he fled the scene.
Valleau’s next hearing is scheduled for October 27
The incident reflects the increasingly tense atmosphere surrounding the upcoming election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
Last week, shots were fired at Harris’ campaign office in Tempe, Arizona, on September 23.
Democratic Party campaign office staff called Tempe police to report finding what appeared to be bullet holes in the office’s front windows.
It was the second such shooting in as many weeks, police said, after the front windows were shot out with a BB gun or pellet gun shortly after midnight on September 16.