Mailman accused of choking 11-year-old girl

By Samantha Tata and Robert Kovacik, NBCLosAngeles.com

Published at 6:20 a.m. ET: An on-duty mailman was arrested Monday after allegedly choking an
11-year-old girl who was supposedly taunting him after the letter carrier inadvertently walked into
the women's bathroom at a park, U.S. Postal Service and law enforcement officials said Tuesday.

Daniel Villasenor, 55, allegedly choked the young girl after she laughed at him when he accidentally
stepped into the women's restroom at Bristow Park in Commerce, southeast of downtown Los Angeles,
on Monday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Several witnesses corroborated the girl's story, sheriff's officials said. Villasensor was found nearby and
arrested.

The 31-year Postal Service employee is on unpaid leave while the investigation continues, said Richard
Mahe, spokesman for USPS. The incident is also being probed by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

NBC4's attempts to contact Villasenor's family for comment were declined late Tuesday. But Villasenor's
neighbor in Temple City, Calif., Leo Ferraris, described the letter carrier as a "hell of a guy" who never
lashed out.

"He'll be barbecuing stuff and he'll say, 'I've got stuff to bring over to you so don't fix dinner tonight,'"
Ferraris said.

Villasenor was jailed on $100,000 bail and had been booked on one felony count of willful cruelty to a
child.

Authorities said they would not be releasing a booking photo of Villasenor.