A Michigan man is accused of attacking a black postal worker with a knife while Kamala Harris' election mailers were being mailed

A Michigan man is accused of attacking a Black postal worker with a knife because he was angry about receiving political mail advertising for Kamala Harris.

Prosecutors in the Detroit suburb of Farmington Hills on Friday charged Russell Frank Valleau, 61, with assault and ethnic intimidation, the latter of which carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison.

Valleau was reportedly arrested the previous evening after he racially abused a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier and attacked her with a blade, forcing her to fend him off with her service-issued pepper spray.

A statement from Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said this was not just a citizen fed up with election season and the flood of leaflets that came with it.

“The defendant was allegedly upset that he had received mail regarding presidential candidate Kamala Harris and allegedly said he did not want that 'black bitch' in his mailbox,” McDonald said.

“Then he called the postman a 'black bitch' and threatened him. The mailman used pepper spray to stop the defendant. When police arrived, the accused was found nearby.”

According to a statement viewed by police Law and crimeAround 5 p.m., the mail carrier called for help, saying the man was upset about receiving Harris campaign ads and appeared to be drunk.

After being pepper sprayed in the face, Valleau allegedly ran away and was later discovered in a neighbor's yard and arrested.

Public records viewed by The Independent Describe Valleau, a registered voter, as a white male with brown hair and blue eyes, 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 150 pounds.

They also show a decades-long history of criminal arrests and convictions, ranging from aggravated stalking to domestic violence to possession of a firearm by a felon.

“In this highly charged political moment, everyone has the right to their political opinions and the right to vote,” McDonald said Friday.

“Whatever our political beliefs, no one should be attacked or threatened because of their race or the performance of their job. Hate crimes affect us all and we will vigorously prosecute all such cases.”