‘I should not be delivering mail’ | Bloomington USPS worker accused of taking marijuana from packages, torching 1,000 pieces of mail

OG article by Ashton Hackman

November 26, 2025

A 57-year-old U.S. Postal Service carrier in Bloomington, Indiana, Michelle Crabtree, faces felony and misdemeanor charges for pilfering over 1,000 mail items, including 88 opened packages, 31 checks worth $3,697.32, $11 cash, and eight gift cards. Authorities seized 306 grams of marijuana and MDMA from the contraband, some of which she allegedly burned.

The probe ignited in August when a family member discovered two trash bags stuffed with tampered mail. A warrant search revealed incinerated evidence, leading postal inspectors to Crabtree, a 2014 hire. She confessed to intermittent thefts driven by kleptomania and financial woes, admitting, "I should not be delivering mail." Crabtree attributed the MDMA to a swiped parcel.

Additional counts encompass official misconduct, 28 theft misdemeanors, controlled substance possession, and marijuana holding. Arrested November 24, her December 5 Monroe County hearing looms, spotlighting vulnerabilities in postal integrity amid rising package volumes and the opioid crisis's shadow over everyday logistics.