Prosecutors: Ankle bracelet removed to rob post office

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh say a man robbed a post office while he was supposed to be confined to his home wearing an electronic ankle bracelet.

A federal magistrate jailed 47-year-old Albert Ervin, of Burgettstown, until he’s tried on charges of robbing the post office in Langeloth at gunpoint on Oct. 9, 2008.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ross Lenhardt says Ervin removed the ankle bracelet so he could leave home, then put it back on after the robbery. At the time, Ervin was confined to his home for a year for driving with a DUI suspension in West Virginia.

He’s also charged with illegally possessing the gun because he is a convicted felon and had a protection from abuse order against him.