Felon Convicted of Threatening U.S. Postal Service Letter Carrier and Firearm Possession in Milwaukee

Matthew D. Krueger, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on November 27, 2018, a jury found David E. Polnitz, Jr., (age: 39) of Milwaukee, guilty of illegally possessing a firearm and forcibly assaulting, impeding, intimidating or interfering with a United States Postal Service (USPS) Letter Carrier.

On June 27, 2017, a USPS Letter Carrier was attempting to deliver mail when Polnitz’s unrestrained pit bull charged the Letter Carrier. Fearing for his safety, the Letter Carrier followed procedure and sprayed the pit bull with USPS-issued dog spray. Polnitz upon being notified by his spouse of the incident, ultimately pointed a Taurus, model PT738, semi-automatic .380 pistol at the Letter Carrier. The Letter Carrier identified Polnitz, among other ways, by his distinctive “Pepsi blue” contact lenses.

Polnitz was previously convicted of second degree recklessly endangering safety and robbery with use of force. He is awaiting sentencing by United States District Court Judge Pamela Pepper. He faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years, a maximum term of supervised release of six years, and a maximum fine of $500,000 for being a convicted violations of Title18 United States Code §§ 111, 922(g)(1), and 924(a)(2).

“Letter Carriers should not have to fear violence as they deliver mail in our neighborhoods,” said United States Attorney Krueger.  “The Department of Justice will aggressively prosecute anyone who threatens harm to federal employees.  We commend the law enforcement agencies for their excellent work in bringing justice to this matter.”

“The safety and protection of postal employees is one of our highest priorities,” said Inspector in Charge Craig Goldberg of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “The guilty convictions in this case send a strong message that threatening or intimidating a postal worker will not be tolerated.”

The case was investigated by the Milwaukee Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Zachary Corey and Benjamin Taibleson.

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For additional information contact:

Public Information Officer Dean Puschnig, 414-297-1700