PLAIN TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A postal worker has been arrested after he lied to deputies about a shooting incident he said occurred in Plain Township Thursday morning, according to the Stark County Sheriff’s Office.

Around 10:57 a.m., deputies responded to the 4600 block of Packard Avenue NW after receiving a call about a shooting involving a United States Postal Service vehicle, deputies said.

News 5 viewer Photo of the Canton USPS truck that a postal carrier allegedly shot while operating.

Following an investigation, deputies discovered that the postal worker, Harry Royal, 37, from Canton, was operating the mail truck when he discharged a gun inside of the vehicle.

Deputies said that Royal lied about the incident, fabricating a story to cover what actually happened.

After learning what actually happened, Royal was arrested and booked into the Stark County Jail. He is being charged with improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, vandalism, inducing panic and falsification.

“This was an isolated incident involving the suspect that began as an accidental discharge of a firearm in the postal vehicle. There are no other parties involved in this incident,” Sheriff George Maier said.