Detroit Postal Worker Charged With Dumping Mail

DETROIT (AP) - A mail carrier has been charged with deserting her job after hundreds of pieces of mail were left on Detroit streets before Christmas.

Agents who interviewed Anntina Thigpen say she felt overwhelmed a few weeks before Christmas. Postal Service employees on Dec. 17 began recovering mail on Appoline Street in Detroit. The discoveries lasted for days as snow melted.

There were about 400 pieces of mail, including 175 first-class letters and 34 greeting cards that had been opened. Thigpen denies opening mail.

A criminal complaint against Thigpen was filed Tuesday in federal court. There's no home phone number listed for her, and The Associated Press couldn't reach her for comment.

No defense attorney has been assigned yet.