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Sexual Battery Case Dismissed Against McDavid Postmaster
September 20, 2012
All charges have been dropped against the McDavid postmaster arrested last year on attempted sexual battery and false imprisonment charges.
James Bruce Lee, 51, was arrested March 2, 2011, on two outstanding state warrants served by the United States Postal Inspection Service with the assistance of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The charges were dismissed after he successfully completed a one year pretrial intervention program and paid $1,532 in court costs.
Lee’s future employment status with the United Postal Service remains undecided.
“Mr. Lee remains on our rolls in a non-pay status pending exhaustion of administrative appeals,” Stephen Seewoester, a USPS spokesman in Dallas, told NorthEscambia.com on Wednesday.
According to Postal Inspector Michael Mulder, the charges stemmed from a January 15, 2011, incident that allegedly took place inside the McDavid Post Office. A female mail carrier alleged that Lee attempted to sexually assault her inside the Main Street building.
According to the arrest warrant, the woman alleged Lee approached her from behind while she was sorting mail and began touching her all over her body. She told him to stop, at which time he complied. Later in the day, after the other carriers had left the building, Lee once again approached the carrier holding her by her hands while pulling his pants down, the carrier told investigators, before stopping when he heard a vehicle in the post office parking lot.
Lee provided a sworn written statement and interview to postal investigators; however, his statements were not released by the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Lee, who served as McDavid postmaster since January 2005, was placed on administrative leave at the time of his arrest.
Comments
14 Responses to “Sexual Battery Case Dismissed Against McDavid Postmaster”
could be this man is really guilty… he should have gone straight to jail,his job terminated and anything else the state could do to him…if he is guilty…his life is ruined and he deserves no less than that..or he may not be guilty but he and his family have suffered a tragedy that will never go away…even if he is innocent…there will always be doubt from the public and his good name will forever be attached to this story…no matter how innocent he is.. the media has done the damage but they have a right and a duty to report this to the public…if he is innocent …I hope he and his family will be strong and stay united to get through this…so they can save their family…but if he did do this terrible crime and violated this woman…sooner or later the truth will come out…I too feel there is more to this story, than what we have read…my prayers to all involved in this sad story and may God bring closure to all who have suffered because of this….
BTW, your hands can be held together by someone else’s ONE hand. Why are you all so quick to assume because he did an intervention and paid a fine that he’s innococent. Why weren’t HIS statements released? Something smells BAD in McDavid.
As the survivor of 2 rapes, I know I wouldn’t have stayed one second more in the building with my attacker much less be the last person in the building with him. I’m curious why she didn’t call the sheriff’s office when he assaulted her the first time, by touching her all over and instead waited until he had escalated and did more to her. Her lack of urgency in contacting the sheriffs office could’ve caused this to end in a very different way. Thank God for the customer in the parking lot. I just think there’s more to the story than we know. Not blaming either party here. Just looking at it from the outside in..
Innocent people sometimes enter pre-trial intervention b/c it is in their best interest to do so in order to have the charges dismissed rather than gamble with a judge or jury deciding their fate. It doesn’t mean guilty at all…DA offices often offer pre trial intervention to save the taxpayers the expense and uncertainty of a trial.
Any of you ever heard of the presumption of innocence? In your puritanical zeal to sacrifice this man’s dignity and reputation you would not afford him the same presumption of innocence you would preserve for yourself or your family members. None of you, even myself, really know what happened and therefore it’s not fair to judge the man. While you’re warming that church pew this weekend how about reading the part of the Bible that says judge not others lest ye be judged.
It would seem to me that in this day and age perhaps a security camera would have shown whether or not this happened. There is a tort called Malicious Prosecution…the good postmaster at McDavid would do well to explore it against his accuser.
If you read what the woman alleges…he held her hands together while pulling down his pants…anyone with a brain can see that was a lie….no one can hold some one with one hand unless no struggle is made or a weapon is involved.Jim was never guilty IMO……but as usual the other party walks away free….been there… done that…we were the ones who incurred legal fees and hassels because some one filed false charges.Lucky for our family it was not as devastating as this.I hope Jim can get on with his life and realize that what goes around always comes back…ususally not quick enough for us though.Good Lucjk Jim…..You ran a great PO in McDavid…Used common sense which was sorely lacking at surrounding PO’s.
Pre-trial diversion is a form of punishment. Had he been not guilty he would not have entered this program.
I don’t know either of these people but,
“The charges were dismissed after he successfully completed a one year pretrial intervention program and paid $1,532 in court costs.”
Doesn’t sound like a simple dismissal of charges.
I know some women file false charges against men but the claims here sound a whole lot like attempted rape. Would it have made a difference if it had been rape? I wonder how hard it was for the alleged victim to deal with everyone doubting her? What if she was telling the truth?
Just a FYI being a “good man” or a “nice guy” is not a automatic seal of innocence. There are many people who have been convicted of rape, murder, and different assults whose close friends and family members say “But he was such a good guy!”
The APWU to the rescue! (sarcasm)
I never believed Jim Lee was guilty. Several years ago, due to someone diverting my mail, I met with him at the McDavid office on more than one occasion and had numerous telephone conversations with him. He could not have been nicer or more professional. I wish him the very best as he and his family put this behind them.
This man was not found to be innocent. He completed a pre trial diversion program that are usually used for someone that has not been in trouble before and not likely to reoffend. Usually it is a form of a guilty plea that is dealt with pretrial with a set of demands by the court that has to be fulfilled. I’m not saying whether or not this man did what he was accused of but he was not found not guilty.
It seems to me He did do what it was alleged he did. The charges were dropped after he completed a year long program and paid restitution. Don’t sound like innocence to me.
just to clarify, I do not know this man or the employee involved. it just seems obvious to me that returning the two employees back to work in the same place would create a hostile work environment. I also have faith in our justice system that if there was real evidance that a crime was committed he would have been convicted. perhaps I am one of the few who belives innoncent until proved guilty.
looks like this man is innoncent.
now who is the victim?
seems like there are a lot of appologies owed to this man as so many passed judgment on him quickly. I hope he is able to return to work and put this awful event behind him. I also hope the employee who made the complaint is transfered or removed from that office so this man can return to work.
Good job for the State, they call this sucess. Now, what is this man to do, his name is Mudd at the expense of the state and their cronies.
The key word is ALLEGED to have done a SEXUAL taboo, so lets destroy this mans name and repuatation on pure allegations, meanwhile there is no accountability for the FALSE accuser or the state for backing them.
Innocent people have been ruined because these actions, I know first hand.
Mr. Lee you will overcome this crime against you. Be strong and keep ya head up. YOU ARE A GOOD MAN.