USPS worker accused of choking an 11-year-old girl who laughed at him

A Southland U.S. postal worker was on unpaid leave Tuesday after allegedly assaulting an 11-year-old girl.

KNX 1070's Claudia Peschiutta reports Daniel Villasenor was arrested this week on suspicion of felony cruelty to a child.

Villasenor, 55, of Temple City, was allegedly involved in a choking incident on Monday afternoon at a bathroom at Bristow Park in the city of Commerce, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

When deputies from the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station arrived, the young girl told deputies that a postal worker had choked her with his hands for laughing at him when he tried to use the restroom facilities and inadvertently entered the women’s restroom.

U.S. Postal Service spokesman Richard Maher told Peschiutta the veteran letter carrier was on duty when he allegedly went after the girl.

“We have taken him off duty and placed him in a non-pay status while the incident is being investigated,” said Maher.

Villasenor has worked for the Postal Service since 1981.

KCAL9's Suraya Fadel reports there was no response when she knocked at the door of Villasenor's Temple City residence even though it was clear there were people inside the home.

Villasenor is being held at the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Station. His bail has been set at $100,000.

The investigation is being handled by the Sheriff’s Department’s Special Victims Bureau.

[Source @ CBS

](http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/02/05/postal-worker-placed-on-leave-after-alleged-assault-on-girl-11/)