WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ga. – A resident of Washington County was handed a 66-month prison sentence on Wednesday, August 27, after being convicted in March 2025 for making threats, using racial slurs, and damaging a postal worker’s vehicle.

William Charles Franklin, aged 37, from Tennille, Georgia, will serve over five years behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release, and must also pay $5,101.74 in restitution.

According to court documents and evidence from the trial, the investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service commenced on June 11, 2024, following a complaint about threats directed at a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier. Surveillance footage captured Franklin using racial slurs against the postal worker.

The U.S. Department of Justice reported that the postal worker informed investigators that Franklin threatened physical harm, stating he would punch him, run him over with a tractor, and instructed someone to bring a rope so he could “drag” the carrier away. A family member confirmed that Franklin indeed made the call for the rope.

On December 3, 2024, six months later, a tractor with a harrow registered to Franklin collided with the postal worker’s vehicle, damaged a stop sign, and left the scene. Arrest warrants were issued for Franklin on December 5, along with a seizure order for his and his wife’s mobile phones. Investigators discovered that Franklin had stored the postal worker’s image on his phone from the June 11, 2024 incident. Additional evidence implied that “Franklin’s offenses were partially motivated by the postal worker’s race and color.”

When authorities arrested Franklin on December 6, 2024, they reportedly found two AR-15-style rifles inside his truck, and he was carrying a loaded handgun.

According to the United States Department of Justice, Franklin was found guilty on one count of obstruction of the mails, one count of assault upon a federal officer, one count of aggravated assault upon a federal officer and one count of retaliating against a witness.

“We will seek justice for victims of hate crimes,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “Letter carriers, federal employees and all citizens have the right to live and work in peace and safety. I commend the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Postal Inspection Service for helping us hold the defendant accountable for assaulting a postal employee.”

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the United States Marshals Service.