Gast
A former Franklin postal worker was arrested Tuesday on a warrant for official misconduct and nine counts of mail theft.
Following a U.S. Postal Service investigation, Justin A. Gast, 36, was charged with official misconduct as a Level 6 Felony and nine counts of theft as a Class A misdemeanor. The alleged mail theft incident leading to the investigation occurred Oct. 11, 2023, according to a probable cause affidavit filed with Johnson County Circuit Court.
A man reportedly witnessed Gast rifling through mail at the McDonald’s near the Franklin Post Office. He said he saw Gast open a stack of greeting cards and pocketed something he found in one of the envelopes. The affidavit filed does not say what exactly was taken.
The witness also allegedly saw Gast put the torn open envelopes in a McDonald’s bag and put them in the trash.
After Gast left the restaurant, the man took the bag out of the trash and followed Gast to the post office. He then reported the incident to the postmaster, according to the affidavit.
Video footage from the McDonald’s corroborates the witness’ story, the affidavit says.
The bag contained 11 pieces of First Class Mail that had been processed at the Franklin Post Office. None of the pieces of mail were addressed to or from Gast, according to the affidavit.
A representative of the U.S. Postal Service said Gast had been employed since November 21, 2015, and resigned on Oct. 30, 2023.
