NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have arrested a man accused of attacking a postal worker on Christmas Eve in Northwest Miami-Dade.
Miami-Dade Police detectives said the victim was in her postal truck at the intersection of Northwest 27th Avenue and 43rd Terrace before noon, Tuesday.
According to police, she was getting ready for her next stop when 45-year-old Sosthene Louis, the alleged attacker, jumped through the open driver’s door. The incident was captured on a nearby surveillance camera.
Before the incident, a witness said Louis was sitting down in the middle of a nearby intersection.
Louis appeared in bond court on Wednesday.
A judge asked in court, “You don’t think that’s unlawful touching?”
“Now, remember that it must with the intent to commit an unlawful touching,” a public defender said. “I don’t know if that’s his intent.”
“I think I can infer it certainly from the facts of lying his body across the victim against her will,” the judge said.
The surveillance video shows the postal worker getting out of the vehicle to deliver mail. Moments later, she could be seen returning to the truck to move onto her next stop.
After her alleged attacker jumped through the door, the victim could be seen pushing Louis off of her using her right arm, and she appears to say something to him as she motions with her hand several times.
The video then shows the victim managing to close the door to her vehicle. Then, Louis jumps on the hood and yanks a windshield wiper.
Louis could be seen on the video going into the store and walking away from the postal worker.
He later came back to the area, and that is when police arrested him.
Louis’s attorney tried to argue in court that Louis wasn’t attempting to assault the mail carrier, but the judge didn’t buy it.
“He laid on top of her in a mail truck — certainly against her will — OK, so I am finding probable cause,” the judge said. “The issue with him is that he’s a walk-away from a program. He clearly suffers from mental health issues, so it needs to be flagged or alerted to your felony counterpart to see if this is something that — I really don’t know on this charge what the state attorney’s position is going to be. I don’t know.”
The U.S. Postal Inspector released a statement about the incident, which read in part, “The safety of our employees has always been our main priority and we are very appreciative of MDPD’s quick response and apprehension of this individual. Once we were made aware of this incident our Postal Police officers responded and assisted MDPD with their investigation. We will be following this matter closely to determine what actions need to be taken to ensure that this does not occur again.”
Louis has been charged with burglary with assault or battery and criminal mischief.
A judge ordered the 45-year-old to stay away from the victim and was denied bond.
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