Kearney Man Sentenced for Post Office Burglary

United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Tyrelle Smiley, 26, of Kearney, Nebraska, was sentenced on June 13, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for burglary of a United States Post Office. Senior United States District Court Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Smiley to 22 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Smiley’s release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.

On November 17, 2019, two people broke into the U.S. Post Office branch in Rockville, Nebraska. When U.S. Postal employees arrived at work on Monday, November 18, they discovered several items had been taken, including items that were being mailed, U.S. currency belonging to the Post Office, and coils of postal stamps.

Two persons, including the Smiley, were found to have been responsible for other burglaries in the area and became suspects in this burglary. A Postal Inspector met with Smiley. Smiley eventually admitted that he had entered the post office.

The Postal Inspector also interviewed a person who lived in the same apartment as Smiley. That person consented to a search of the apartment. Some of the stolen property was discovered, including a coil of stamps. Those stamps were later examined for fingerprints and Smiley’s fingerprints were found on the coil of stamps.

Judge Gerrard originally sentenced smiley to 30 months’ imprisonment on June 28, 2023. There was a mistaken understanding of when the post office burglary took place relative to other burglaries Smiley had been convicted of committing in state court. That error was discovered on appeal. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals then remanded the case for resentencing.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service.