Late mail arrives with apology

TINA McGRADY

DANVILLE April 08, 2006 01:23 am

— A former Danville postal worker who failed to deliver his mail route in November 2004 is now delivering an apology.
Jason A. Dixon, 31, pleaded guilty and was sentenced in federal court in Urbana to one count of delay of mail.
Michael P. McCuskey, chief U.S. district judge, sentenced Dixon in mid-March to a three-year probation term. As part of Dixon’s sentence, McCuskey ordered the former mail carrier to write a letter of apology and submit it for publication in the Commercial-News.
“It’s certainly not unheard of, but it is rare for a judge to hand down this type of sentence,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Cox said.
Dixon’s letter, which appears here, identifies the Danville man, his actions and the consequences of his crime as outlined by court order.
Dixon admits he failed to deliver mail Nov. 27, 2004.
Dixon chose to dump hundreds of pieces of mail along the railroad tracks near Henning Road. The mail remained there throughout the winter until authorities discovered the items.
In his court-ordered letter, Dixon apologizes for his actions.
Postal employees are expected to deliver the dated and weathered mail along with a copy of Dixon’s letter to each mail patron affected by his actions.
Cox said officials recovered 283 pieces of mail from Dixon’s route. Of the rescued mail, 102 items were considered first-class mail by postal officials.
“The rest was classified as standard class,” Cox said.
Standard class mail includes other letters, magazines and oversized envelopes, the attorney said.
Dixon is not expected to spend time in prison for his crime, but will serve the first six months of his probation term on electronic home detention. Dixon is allowed to leave his home to go to work and must wear an electronic monitoring device.
The court also ordered Dixon to participate in a job training program or employ-ment counseling.
Gwen White, Dixon’s federal probation officer, said Dixon did not wish to comment on his case.

Here is Dixon’s letter:
My name is Jason Dixon. I was employed as a postal carrier for Route 4, Danville, during November 2004. On Nov. 27, 2004, I made the wrong decision to store undelivered mail along the railroad tracks near Henning Road, as I did not want to complete my route that day. The mail remained there throughout the winter months until it was discovered by authorities.
I no longer hold this position of trust and I’ve been convicted of a felony offense (delay of mail) in U.S. District Court, Urbana.
I am currently serving a three-year term of federal probation for this offense. I want to express to all Route 4 patrons that I am sorry for my actions. I understand that postal authorities will be delivering the dated and weathered first-class mail sometime after my sentencing hearing.
Sincerely,
Jason A. Dixon
Danville

LET US KNOW
Maybe you finally received that long-awaited holiday greeting, a check, a payment notice or other interesting letter from November 2004. If so, we want to know. Contact Managing Editor Laura Mabry at 477-5180 or lmabry@dancomnews.com to share your story with Commercial-News readers.