Georgia man sentenced for racially-motivated attack against letter carrier

A Georgia man who threatened a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier and then attacked the public servant’s vehicle will spend more than five years in prison.

Prosecutors say the Washington County resident was found guilty of a hate crime due to his use of racial slurs against the letter carrier.

According to documents provided in court, the U.S. Postal inspection Service started an investigation into 37-year-old William Charles Franklin on June 11, 2024.

Officials say the letter carrier recorded Franklin confronting him about his vehicle. During the incident, Franklin used multiple racial slurs before claiming he was protected by free speech.

When the letter carrier told Franklin that the threats could have lead to a fight if he was off-duty, Franklin reportedly called him more racial slurs and threatened to punch him and run him over with a tractor.

Read more: WAGA