10:57 PM PST on Tuesday, November 9, 2004

By ERIC WILKINSON / KING 5 News

SEATTLE - Dana Knickerbocker was working a landscaping job in a Seattle neighborhood when he found bundle upon bundle of undelivered mail dumped in the bushes.

"Checks, blank checks, magazines, all kinds of mail," he said.

About 400 pieces of mail dating back to June were simply thrown away by a letter carrier around Seattle's Columbia city neighborhood.

It's an outrage to those who depend on the postal service.

"It just seems incredible that someone would do that, to me. A lot of these are seniors in this area who are depending on their checks, you know," said

Postal inspectors say their suspect is a temporary worker, filling in on the route.

Joel Oblero worked the neighborhood Tuesday. He said the demands of the job, especially for rookies on unfamiliar routes, can push carriers to extremes.

"He's looking at his watch saying 'oh my gosh I have an hour to get all this mail out and I have two hours of mail to go.' And so he does as much as he can before the deadline and I'm guessing the rest of it he stuffed in a garbage bag and threw in the ravine," said Oblero.

Postal inspectors say cases like this are very rare and are dealt with harshly.

"Well we take this very seriously. We investigate it as vigorously as we can and we ask that it be prosecuted by the US Attorney's office each time," said Postal Inspector Jeff Scobba.

The recovered mail should be delivered to its rightful recipients in a couple of weeks.

The U.S. Attorney's office in Seattle will decide what if any charges to pursue against the letter carrier. If convicted, he could face up to a year in jail.