Under the terms of a plea agreement, Christopher Thomas, 40, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of misapplying property and a felony perjury charge was dismissed.
Investigators said Thomas, who worked as a contract deliverer between 2005 and 2008 had 120 pieces of first class mail, one piece of international mail and one tub of presorted standard mail stored in a Castle Rock storage unit he abandoned. The mail was from an area around Yak Estates.
At Tuesday’s hearing, his attorney Zane Wilson said he had doubts about the plea agreement, but recommended it for Thomas because if Thomas had gone to trial he could have risked a conviction on the more serious felony perjury charge that is now dismissed.
“I have significant questions about what he (Thomas) did or his guilt relative to it,” he said.
He said there was “no discernible motive,” for Thomas’ actions, but said was no evidence Thomas was taking financial information from undelivered mail.
When Thomas’ opportunity to speak came, he said he had no comment because he had learned a lesson about talking to investigators.
“It was trying to say stuff that actually got me into this position,” he said. “My counsel informed me that if I’d have just asked for a lawyer, I wouldn’t even be here today.”
He politely declined a request from the News-Miner to discuss the case.
Thomas attended the change of plea out of custody. He must turn himself in to Fairbanks Correctional Center next month. Thomas was the second postal worker to recently face charges for not delivering mail. Geoff Owen, a North Pole postal worker is scheduled to enter a guilty plea next month on charges he took 88 pieces of mail to a transfer site
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