A man who was caught with thousands of dollars of checks stolen from mailboxes in Bowling Green and other cities was placed on probation for five years Wednesday.

Brandon Dawkins, 27, of Lithonia, Georgia, faced a potential penalty of 24-30 months in prison after having previously pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Bowling Green to a count of possession of stolen mail.

Dawkins and Tristen Reese, 27, of Durham, North Carolina, were stopped by a Mammoth Cave National Park ranger on May 1, 2024, for a speeding violation.

A search of the glove compartment, undertaken after law enforcement smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle, turned up an envelope containing 81 stolen checks and two money orders totaling $140,147.88, according to court records.

The checks were dated between April 10 and May 5 and appeared to have been taken from around 20 cities in Kentucky, Tennessee and South Carolina.

Dawkins and Reese were both charged with possessing stolen mail, and the two men have pleaded guilty.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Greg Stivers said at Wednesday’s hearing that he initially considered ordering Dawkins to serve 24 months in prison, but was swayed in part by letters from friends of Dawkins who spoke about his volunteer efforts in his Georgia community and the influence that his experience as a new parent has had on his life.

Stivers assured Dawkins that if he violates his probation and ends up back in court, he will face a more severe punishment.

“What I’m hoping is you really have turned the corner and I won’t see you again,” Stivers said to Dawkins. “The police officer in Mammoth Cave did you the greatest favor you can imagine. If you and your sidekick had cashed those $140,000 in checks, this outcome would not have happened. It’s a good thing they stopped you before you dug a bigger hole for yourself.”

The probation will also involve Dawkins serving 180 days of home detention and he will be made to pay $694.90 in restitution to two victims.

Dawkins said in court that being a new parent and forming a clothing business have been grounding influences in the past year.

“I apologize to the Kentucky residents for breaching their privacy and going through their mail,” Dawkins said at his hearing. “I’ve been trying to change my life for my children.”

According to a criminal complaint filed last year, U.S. Postal Service inspectors identified 48 commercial and personal victims among the stolen checks, with most of the checks taken from locations in Bowling Green, Morgantown, Owensboro and other Kentucky communities.

Assistant U.S. Attoney Nick Rabold said Wednesday the dollar amount in this case represented the largest figure he has witnessed in a case involving stolen mail, and argued for a sentence of incarceration based in part on Dawkins’ prior convictions, which he said included an aggravated battery case that netted Dawkins a three-year sentence.

Reese has also pleaded guilty to possessing stolen mail, and will be sentenced June 2.