Former Harris County postal worker allegedly punches woman, charged with assault

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - A former postal worker in Harris County is facing assault charges after allegedly punching a woman several times while she was delivering mail in a Huffman neighborhood.

The victim told police that she was walking her dog on June 18 when the postal worker, Dominique Lashaun Nelms, sped past her in her mail truck. The victim says after asking Nelms to slow down, the mail carrier got out of her work truck and punched the victim several times. 

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The victim was able to call 911, but Nelms returned and punched the victim one more time before driving away, according to court documents.

Nelms was arrested and charged with assault and bodily injury. She was released on a $100 bond. We've also been told she resigned from her position.

Mike Levine of the Harris County District Attorney's office said the former mail carrier's alleged actions were "the ultimate abuse of public trust."

"We should be able to trust anyone driving in our neighborhood not to assault us, especially a public employee," Levine said. "Someone with a uniform who's employed by the government. You would hope you could have a civil conversation with that person."

Police records show Nelms has five prior charges, all theft related, dating back to 2012. 

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The victim's boyfriend said that she is still shaken up by the attack and is trying to process what happened. Nelms is scheduled to return to court in July. 

We reached out to the Houston USPS field office with questions about background checks for mail carriers and received a link to their website in the response. Under the highlighted portion, it states that all employees must have the ability to pass a criminal background check, drug screening, and medical assessment.