A former FedEx driver accused of dumping hundred of packages in an Alabama ravine will face charges of cargo theft, officials say
- A former FedEx driver faces five charges after being accused of dumping packages in a ravine.
- The 22-year-old told officials he had a death in the family, which caused him to make a bad choice.
A former delivery driver faces charges after being accused of dumping hundreds of FedEx packages in an Alabama ravine last month, Blount County Sheriff Mark Moon said Friday during a press conference.
Deandre Rayshaun Charleston, 22, faces five cargo theft charges, which is also a Class D felony. He was expected to be taken into custody after he finished his work shift for another delivery company, the sheriff said.
Last month, Charleston dumped at least 450 packages into a ravine in Blount County on at least six separate occasions, Insider's Heather Schlitz reported.
The packages were found abandoned in a ravine on private property on November 24, and FedEx dispatched drivers to clean up the scene at 5 a.m. the following day. "These guys came from all over the country to work on Thanksgiving. Thank you guys for your hard work and clearing up this mess," the sheriff's office previously said.
Moon said the driver was cooperative with officers during their investigation.
"It appears that he was very sorrowful for what he had done, and just admitted that he had had — was having some hard times in his life and just made poor choices," Moon said at the news conference.
According to Moon, Charleston said he had a death in the family, which really burdened him and led him to make bad choices.
FedEx did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. But following the initial reports of the dumped packages, the driver was fired from FedEx, a spokesperson confirmed to Insider.
According to Moon, 247 packages were unidentifiable due to missing or illegible barcodes or addresses. The value of those goods was around $24,700, he said.
"I know there's a lot of people out there that want to just throw this guy away, throw away the key and never give him hope of a life, ever. That's not my intentions," Moon added.
Packages have been reported dumped in other locations as well, including 20 FedEx packages reported abandoned in Jemison, Alabama, and a dozen Amazon packages dumped in a Savannah neighborhood.