Nationwide — A United States Postal Service employee was caught on camera, still in uniform, physically assaulting a 10-year-old girl outside Ben Franklin Elementary School in Cleveland, Ohio. The incident took place last September, just after the school day ended. Despite clear video evidence and a police report detailing the altercation, the case sat unresolved for months due to a series of procedural missteps.According to the report filed by an officer with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) Police Department, the young girl said she was initially attacked by another student using a book bag while walking to her school bus. She then claimed the student’s mother, a USPS worker, escalated the situation by intervening physically. The officer’s report states the woman shoved the girl to the ground and called her a derogatory name, causing the child to hit her head on a nearby tree.
According to Cleveland 19 News, alhough the officer identified multiple potential charges—including assault, child endangerment, delinquency of a minor, and criminal conduct on school grounds—no arrest was made, and the USPS employee’s name was withheld due to the absence of formal charges. The officer referred the case to the Cleveland city prosecutor, but it was mistakenly sent to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office instead, which only handles felony-level offenses.
On November 14, 2024, Assistant County Prosecutor Debora Brewer responded with a letter stating the case did not meet the threshold for felony prosecution and advised CMSD police to refer it to the city’s prosecutor for potential misdemeanor charges. Despite that recommendation, the case was never forwarded as instructed. It wasn’t until April 16, 2025—after inquiries by news station WOIO—that the city prosecutor’s office received the relevant documents.
A spokesperson for the city prosecutor confirmed they had no knowledge of the case until CMSD sent the reports on April 17, nearly seven months after the initial incident. The city prosecutor’s office is now waiting to meet with CMSD police to discuss potential charges, noting that CMSD has indicated a desire to pursue the matter. However, no definitive actions have been taken since that exchange.
When contacted by WOIO, the postal employee declined to comment. The U.S. Postal Service also distanced itself from the incident, with Cleveland-based Postal Inspector Ian Ortega stating the matter falls under local jurisdiction, as the employee was off-duty, though still in uniform. CMSD has not provided an explanation for the delay in forwarding the case until prompted by media involvement.