Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV

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October 29, 2008

Feds probe Bluewell post office

By BILL ARCHER

BLUEWELL — Federal investigators launched an investigation Tuesday at a Mercer County post office as a result of alleged “financial irregularities,” at the office, according to a spokesperson with the United States Postal Service.

David L. Walton of USPS corporate communications in Louisville, Ky., issued the following station in response to a question concerning the Bluewell Station Post Office. “Special Agents with the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Postal Service are conducting an investigation of financial irregularities at the Bluewell, W.V., community post office,” according to the USPS prepared statement.

“Once the investigation is concluded, the results will be provided to the appropriate officials. It has not been determined at this time when the investigation will be completed,” according to the statement.

“People’s mail is not being held,” Walton said Wednesday afternoon in a telephone interview. “It’s important for the people to know that the USPS has temporarily suspended services at the Bluewell office. Customers can pick up their mail at the nearby Bluefield Post Office which is, I think, about five miles away.” The Bluefield Post Office is located at 3010 East Cumberland Road.

Walton said there are 340 post office box holders in Bluewell. He said the operating hours at the Bluewell post office were limited, and pointed out that box holders have 24 hour per day access to post office boxes in Bluefield. “The Bluefield office is open from 8 a.m., to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday,” Walton said.

“I believe they have extra post office boxes available in Bluefield,” Walton said. He repeated that the USPS “temporarily suspended service” in Bluewell, but did not provide additional information except to say that the OIG started its investigation on Tuesday. Michelle Stiller, Bluefield postmaster referred all questions about the closing to Walton.

— Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com

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