Show-Me State Times

U.S. District Judge John A. Ross sentenced a man to 10 years in prison on Wednesday for threatening a mail carrier over a missing package containing marijuana. Marquis Melton, 31, pleaded guilty in January to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Melton admitted that on Feb. 27, 2023, he confronted a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier in the 4700 block of Farlin Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri, demanding an expected package. After being informed by the carrier that the package was not with him, Melton followed the carrier back to the Post Office and attempted to locate it again.

The following day, officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department stopped the vehicle Melton had been riding in and discovered a .40-caliber pistol. As a convicted felon, Melton is prohibited from possessing firearms and was also wanted by police for other issues.

Melton denied threatening the carrier with a firearm and claimed there was no evidence that the gun he allegedly had during his interaction with the carrier was the same one police found later.

However, based on testimony and evidence presented during Wednesday's sentencing hearing, Judge Ross determined that Melton did possess the gun and did threaten the mail carrier due to impatience over his expected marijuana shipment.

The case was investigated by both the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane prosecuting.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative uniting all levels of law enforcement and their communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence while fostering safer neighborhoods for everyone. On May 26, 2021, PSN launched a violent crime reduction strategy based on core principles including fostering trust within communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring initially, setting focused enforcement priorities, and measuring results.