A 19-year-old Akron man, Aaryn Rodgers, has been sentenced to at least eight years in prison for an armed holdup of a letter carrier delivering mail on the 700 block of Cordova Avenue, a daytime heist that targeted a valuable master mailbox key but left the carrier physically unharmed.
According to Cleveland19, Akron police say a masked suspect wearing a ski mask approached the carrier on May 6, 2025, showed a weapon, and demanded the worker’s arrow key, which is used to open many mailboxes. Investigators say the suspects fled in a dark-gray Dodge Charger, but a tip led investigators to a neighboring apartment complex, where two persons were apprehended after a foot chase and the carrier’s key was found.
On January 27, 2026, Rodgers pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery and receiving stolen property as part of a settlement that included two firearm specifications and the confiscation of a weapon. According to WKYC, on March 20, 2026, a Summit County court sentenced Rodgers to at least eight years in jail, within the parameters of a plea agreement that set a range of eight years to ten years and six months.
Dennis Harris, the suspected getaway driver, faces charges of aggravated robbery and obstructing government business. He was already wanted on a felony warrant out of Lucas County. He is scheduled to go to trial on May 19, 2026. Officers discovered a bag near the scene containing a pistol and the carrier’s arrow key after the suspects fled on foot.
The United States Postal Inspection Service has identified arrow key robberies as a severe danger to carrier safety, launching Project Safe Delivery to increase investigations, arrests, and prevention activities. That initiative, which the Postal Inspection Service claims has resulted in thousands of mail-theft arrests and hundreds of robbery cases probed since 2023, helps explain why local prosecutors and federal partners are focusing so heavily on these charges, according to the US Postal Inspection Service.
Rodgers’ sentencing brings his case to an end for now, while Harris’ state charges remain scheduled for trial in May. Postal inspectors and local police said they will continue to work together to combat crimes that target letter carriers, and they urge locals to report any suspicious activity regarding mail routes or collection boxes to the Postal Inspection Service.
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