A mail carrier suffered facial injuries when she was stabbed Thursday morning on Whaley Drive by a man who was taken into custody.

The man, who lives in the 5200 block of Whaley with his mother, allegedly stabbed the female postal worker a couple of blocks from his mother’s house, then ran inside the house.

Police surrounded the house with their guns drawn at about 9:45 a.m. Trotwood Capt. John Porter said officers and a neighbor were able to coax the man out of the house and he was taken into custody without further incident.

He was identified as 45-year-old Robert Powell. He is being held in the Montgomery County Jail pending a charge of felonious assault.

Porter said Powell was reportedly asking the carrier about a disability check before the attack.

The victim was taken to a hospital suffering from serious, non-life threatening injuries to her face and eye.

The USPS would not release the employee’s name, but said she has been employed as a mail carrier since 2004 and works the route that includes Whaley on a regular basis.

USPS Inspector Lisa Fitzpatrick said assaults on postal workers are very uncommon. “Our biggest threat to our carriers is dog bites,” she said.

Five postal inspectors were dispatched to aid police in the investigation, Fitzpatrick said. She said mail carriers go through safety training where they are taught to be on the lookout for anything suspicious while on their routes.

“Their safety comes first,” she said.

Porter said police are looking into the possibility that Powell had not been taking his prescribed medication , but Porter declined to elaborate on Powell’s medical condition.