Ex-postal worker says he 'got lazy,' failed to deliver mail

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - A former U.S. Postal Service worker who failed to deliver nearly 1,000 pieces of mail has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor mail obstruction and been sentenced to a year of probation.

The Register-Guard reports (http://is.gd/64Lu9d ) that 27-year-old Alex Douma was also ordered Wednesday to pay a $500 fine. He entered his plea in federal court in Eugene, Oregon.

While most of the mail found last summer in two bins on his front porch was junk mail, there were also 27 voter ballots from last May's primary election and more than 200 items of first-class and standard mail.

Douma worked at a post office in Eugene. Court documents say he told investigators that he "just got lazy" and had failed to make his rounds on multiple occasions between late April and early July. He apologized in court and said he set aside the mail because he had "felt pressured for time" while working in a job that required him to sort, scan and deliver mail.

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Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com