Three men charged with robbing postal carrier at gunpoint in Columbia, prosecutor says
Two Columbia residents and a man from Georgia appeared in federal court on charges they robbed a postal worker at gunpoint, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Thursday.
Columbia residents Don Everett Peters, III, 21, and Shylik Lamont Smalls, 22, along with Valdosta, Georgia’s Elijah Rasue Dewayne Ellis, 21, were in a courthouse in Columbia facing multiple charges for robbing a U.S. mail carrier, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
All three men were charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery of a postal carrier, armed robbery of a postal carrier, and theft/possession of a postal arrow key, according to the release.
On March 17, Peters, Smalls, and Ellis committed the crimes in Columbia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
There was no word on a motive for the robbery.
No injuries were reported.
If convicted, all three face a maximum punishment of 25 years in prison on the armed robbery charge, 5 years on the conspiracy charge, and 10 years on the theft/possession of the arrow key charge, according to the release.
Peters, Smalls, and Ellis are currently being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Richland County, jail records show.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Columbia Police Department.
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This story was originally published July 14, 2022 at 1:41 PM with the headline "Three men charged with robbing postal carrier at gunpoint in Columbia, prosecutor says."
