LITTLE ROCK—A Tennessee man has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for assaulting two U.S. Postal Service employees during an attempted robbery in North Little Rock. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge D.P. Marshall Jr., was announced by Jonathan D. Ross, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
George Elliot Gibson III, 28, of Bartlett, Tennessee, pleaded guilty on March 10, 2026, to two counts of assault with intent to rob a postal employee. In addition to the 48-month prison term, he has been sentenced to two years of supervised release. Federal sentences do not include parole.
Court records revealed that the incident took place on June 11, 2022, when Gibson first approached a USPS mail carrier delivering mail in North Little Rock. He demanded the carrier's postal key, which is used to access secure mail drop boxes. The carrier refused and drove away, but Gibson confronted the same carrier again later that day, this time brandishing what appeared to be a firearm while repeating the demand. The carrier managed to avoid handing over the key.
Later that evening, Gibson targeted a second postal worker delivering mail to an apartment complex in North Little Rock. Armed with an air rifle resembling an AR-15, Gibson ordered the second carrier to surrender the postal key. The worker initially resisted but ultimately handed over the key.
Following the incident, officers from the North Little Rock Police Department stopped Gibson's vehicle and arrested him. The air rifle used in the crimes was found on the floorboard of his car. Gibson admitted to using the weapon during both confrontations.
Gibson was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 11, 2024, with seven counts, including multiple charges of assaulting postal employees, attempted robbery, and unlawful possession of a postal key. He later accepted a plea agreement on two counts of assault with intent to rob.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the North Little Rock Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas prosecuted the case.