Man convicted of post office robberies

A man received a 39-year prison sentence in federal court Wednesday for breaking into and robbing U.S. Post Offices in the southeastern part of the state, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Authorities tied Tyson D. Barnes, 21, to a May 12, 2007 armed robbery of a post office in Seabrook in Beaufort County and another post office robbery two days later in Early Branch in Hampton County, a release says. In both cases, the robber left with cash and money orders.

After the second robbery, sheriff's deputies noticed a car matching the getaway vehicle's description, prosecutors said. Deputies arrested Barnes after a high-speed chase and lengthy search. At the time, Barnes had been a fugitive for failing to appear in court for an earlier burglary of the Early Branch Post Office.

In October, Barnes, of Early Branch, pleaded guilty to one count of failure to appear in court, two counts of robbery of a Post Office, and two counts of the use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, prosecutors said. Senior U.S. District Judge Sol Blatt Jr. imposed his sentence in federal court Charleston. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office investigated.