Kearney man gets sentence reduced for post office burglary

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A Kearney man was resentenced Thursday for the burglary of a United States post office.

Tyrelle Smiley, 26, got 22 months in prison, followed by a three-year term of supervised release.

He was originally sentenced to more than two years last June, but a mistake in the process was discovered in an appeal.

In November 2019, two people broke into the U.S. Postal Service branch in Rockville, Nebraska, which is about 40 miles northeast of Kearney.

When employees got to work the next day, they noticed several items had been taken, including items that were being mailed, money and coils of stamps.

Smiley was found to be responsible for other burglaries in the area, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and became a suspect in this crime as well.

A postal inspector met with Smiley, and he eventually admitted to being in the post office.

Smiley’s roommate consented to a search of their apartment, and the postal inspector found the stolen items.

The postal stamps were scanned for fingerprints, and Smiley’s fingerprints were found on them, authorities said.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said an appeals court ordered that Smiley be resentenced because of a misunderstanding about when the burglary happened in relation to other burglaries Smiley had been convicted of in state court.

Smiley is currently in state prison and is expected to be released in 2027, according to the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services.