TOLEDO, Ohio — Editor's note: The following story has been updated to include information indicating the postal carrier allegedly lied about the robbery.
A postal carrier who claimed to have been robbed at gunpoint Saturday allegedly lied about the incident "to get time off work," according to authorities.
A court document claimed Cody Reardon was not robbed at gunpoint, like he initially told police, something authorities said was corroborated by video surveillance. In the video, Reardon was seen exiting the USPS van, looking around, then throwing a set of USPS keys into a yard.
The court document stated Reardon admitted to fabricating the robbery "in order to get time off of work". The initial robbery claim resulted in several field operations crews and a USPIS inspector responding to the scene to search for the "suspect that did not exist," authorities said.
A United States Postal Inspector told WTOL 11 in a statement the initial claim of the robbery was found to be fictitious "due to diligent investigative work."
Reardon initially told police he was robbed at gunpoint Saturday at approximately 12:15 p.m. in west Toledo, when an unknown suspect brandished gun and demanded the mailbox key. Reardon said the suspect took the key and fled southbound on Torrance Drive in a black sedan.
Reardon was charged with making false alarms to a law enforcement agency, a fifth degree felony. Reardon appeared in Toledo Municipal Court Monday morning for an initial appearance, where a judged released him on his own recognizance. He is due back in court for another hearing on Jan. 17, 2024.
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