More details on an alleged assault of a mail carrier in Farmington Hills have emerged following the filing of a criminal complaint in federal court.
The complaint against Russell Valleau, 61, alleges he pulled a knife on a female postal worker after yelling racial and sexual comments at her — reportedly over unwanted campaign mail for Vice President Kamala Harris — while the worker was parked in her vehicle on Rockwell Street, near M-5 and Middlebelt Road, on Sept. 26.
As stated in the complaint, the postal worker said Valleau was on a bicycle when he approached her vehicle on the passenger side and began yelling at her, and she told him to leave, the complaint states. As she began to roll up the window “Valleau’s right hand came out from under the handle of his bicycle with a knife in it…it appeared as though (Valleau) was going to throw the knife at her because he pulled it back the way someone would to throw an object.”
The postal worker said she pepper-sprayed Valleau out of fear for her life, and he fled on the bike, the complaint states. Police located him a short time later, lying facedown on a nearby lawn. He had an “orange substance on his face,” had trouble opening his eyes and appeared to be intoxicated, the complaint states.
Police haven’t found the knife allegedly used in the reported assault.
The postal worker described the knife as three or four inches long, and said it could have been a kitchen knife or a pocket knife, according to the federal complaint.
Valleau is already facing state charges of ethnic intimidation — a felony — and misdemeanor assault and battery for the alleged incident.
The federal complaint prompts an investigation for a possible indictment for “forcibly assaulting, opposing, intimidating and interfering with a federal employee while engaged in official duties.”
The complaint further states that a witness reported seeing a man later identified as Valleau approach the mail carrier’s vehicle on a bike, heard him “scream profanities and racist comments,” and then “thought she saw (him) reach into his left pocket and reach through the mail truck’s window.” The witness also thought the postal worker sprayed Valleau with a substance because she heard him yell “Ow, my eyes!” and then stumble away and fall into a ditch.
During an interview with Farmington Hills police, Valleau reportedly said he had approached the mail carrier to ask her a question and she “maced” him. He didn’t remember what the question was, the complaint states.
And he denied assaulting her, telling police: “I didn’t put my hands on that woman. She maced me. I got arrested,” the complaint states.
Valleau is in the Oakland County Jail, with bond set at $25,000. He’s scheduled to return to 47th District Court on Oct. 11 for a pre-exam conference.
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