Angry man lay in wait for postman before attack that sent him to hospital, MN cops say
A Minnesota man is going to prison for the next five-and-a-half years after he assaulted a mailman and tried to cover it up, court records show.
Kevin D. Blocker, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting a federal employee in May, the District of Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office announced in a Sept. 13 news release.
Court records say on Oct. 26, 2018, the mail carrier was crossing a road in St. Paul when Blocker approached the intersection “at speed,” having to brake to avoid hitting the mail carrier. The mail carrier then yelled at Blocker that he was supposed to yield.
The mail carrier went inside a building to deliver mail, at which time Blocker parked his car and waited for him to come out. When the mail carrier came out, Blocker punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground and causing him to hit his head on the cement, court records say.
A witness testified that he saw Blocker get out of his car and hit the victim, causing him to hit his head on the ground, which made “a horrible sound like a hollow watermelon sound,” court records say.
After the incident, the victim was taken to a hospital and got 12 stitches, records say.
Investigators say Blocker tried to cover up his involvement by reporting his car stolen. He also asked a friend to lie and say he had the car when it was stolen.
Court records say Blocker then sold the car to someone who had no knowledge it was reported stolen. That man was pulled over and arrested for driving a stolen vehicle, causing him to spend time in jail while investigators worked to verify he had bought the vehicle.
In addition to his 68-month sentence, Blocker will be placed on three years of supervised release once he gets out, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
This story was originally published September 14, 2023 at 11:11 AM with the headline "Angry man lay in wait for postman before attack that sent him to hospital, MN cops say."
