Farmington Hills man jailed for racist incident against mail carrier

A Farmington Hills man remained jailed Friday after he allegedly racially attacked and threatened a mail carrier Thursday.

According to a press release from the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office, 61-year-old Russell Frank Valleau was upset about receiving mail regarding Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for the 2024 presidential election.

Valleau allegedly said he didn't want that “black bitch” in his mailbox, then called the mail carrier a “black bitch” and threatened the delivery driver, prosecutors allege. A spokesman for the public prosecutor's office confirmed that the mail carrier was a black woman.

The mailman used pepper spray to stop Valleau, prosecutors said. The woman was not physically injured in the incident. Police later arrived at the scene and found Valleau nearby. He was taken into custody and remained in the Oakland County Jail Friday afternoon, officials said.