Joshua Bote | USA TODAY

A mail carrier in Ohio was arrested on drug charges Tuesday after being accused of selling crack cocaine out of her mail truck.

Darcy Spangler, 52, appeared in Ashtabula Municipal Court in Ashtabula, Ohio, on Wednesday on charges of trafficking in drugs, court records show.

A search warrant jointly issued this month by the Crime Enforcement Agency of Ashtabula County (CEAAC), U.S. Postal Inspectors, the Office of Inspector General and the Painesville, Ohio, FBI office, according to the Star Beacon in Ashtabula, was a result of a three-month investigation into suspected drug vending taking place during her mail route.

"This investigation involved transactions or purchases through undercover, confidential sources," said CEAAC commander Det. Greg Leonhard to the Star Beacon. "On two out of three occasions the transactions occurred out of her postal vehicle."

No drugs were found in Spangler’s residence, but scales and packaging – apparent evidence of sales – were recovered inside the home, per a news release from the Ashtabula Sheriff's Office obtained by Cox Media Group.

“The vast majority of the U.S. Postal Service’s 630,000 employees are hard-working, trust worthy individuals, working around the clock to deliver the nation’s mail," said Special Agent Scott Balfour, the public information officer for the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.

"Unfortunately, a few of them decide to abuse that trust and engage in criminal activity."

A preliminary hearing will take place next Monday, court records show. Spangler’s bond was set to $1,500. A court-appointed attorney has been assigned to her.

Further charges are pending for a second individual, Leonhard told the Star Beacon.

The Ashtabula Sheriff's Office did not immediately responded to a request for comment from USA TODAY.

Follow Joshua Bote on Twitter: @joshua_bote

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