Man fed up with mail carriers driving on sidewalk, lawns in years-long dispute
By Sarah Michals
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WATERFORD, Michigan (WXYZ) — It’s not something you see every day. Video of a mail delivery truck driving over the easement, sidewalk, and onto a Waterford homeowner’s property to deliver their mail this month.
Benny Hunt tells me this has been happening for years. He said he’s asked the postal service to stop, and that he’s filed police reports, but still he can’t get the mail truck to stay off his property.
On Wednesday, I went to the Hunt’s house to figure out how much damage it has caused, what can be done, and to raise his voice to the U.S. Postal Service.
Hunt has now placed construction cones all across the easement in front of his home and on the edge of his property in hopes to stop them from driving up.
“I literally have the best lawn on the block, so it hurts when I see somebody drive through it!” Hunt said.
He tells me for years now, the USPS drivers in Waterford have been causing extensive damage over the years.
“They ran over three or four solar lights, destroyed them. Four or five different American flags, destroyed them,” Hunt said.
“When you tell them, ‘Hey, driving on my lawn right here messes up my personal property.’ What do they say to you?” I asked.
“It’s a safety hazard,” he said.
Hunt tells me he and his wife have complained and filed multiple police reports, but the problem continued, so he tried moving his mailbox.
“So you took your mailbox from over there and you moved it towards the road so this wouldn’t be a problem?” I asked.
“Yup,” he said.
“And then what happened?” I asked.
“They say it’s a safety hazard for the carrier delivering my mail,” he said. “They refuse to deliver my mail.”
That’s despite the fact that some of his neighbors have their mailboxes also on the side of the road.
While we were talking, a mail delivery driver pulled up, drove past Hunt’s house and onto his neighbor’s easement and the sidewalk.
I tried to ask her why she’s doing this.
When she wouldn’t tell me, I went to the Waterford carrier annex twice. They refused to talk to me.
“I called 43 times yesterday, not one answer,” Hunt said.
Eventually, the USPS gave me a statement that said, “The Postal Service will reach out to the customer to resolve any delivery issues. The Postal Service apologizes for the inconvenience this has caused the customer.”
I went back to Hunt’s house to tell him.
“I still have no mail. This is what I’m dealing with for five years, round and round and round,” he said.
I also reached out to Waterford police to ask if this is legal. They told me generally, driving on the sidewalk or private property is not permitted.
Hunt tells me he plans to take the USPS to court for damages.
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