A delivery driver accused of dumping more than $25,000 (£18,800) worth of FedEx packages into a ravine was “sorrowful”, authorities in Blount County, Alabama, have said.
Deandre Rayshaun Charleston was named as the 22-year-old driver accused of dumping almost 400 packages, not far from the town of Hayden, on Friday.
He was said to have dumped parcels between 17 and 23 November because his family were dealing with grief at the time, said Blount County sheriff Mark Moon, and did not want to deliver them.
FedEx were forced to recover the packages – of which 250 did not reach their final destination – and he was fired the following day.
Mr Moon, announcing charges of cargo theft against Mr Charleston on Friday, said the suspect had shown remorse and was “sorrowful” for what happened.
“It appears that he was very sorrowful for what he had done and just admitted that he was having some hard times in his life and made poor choices,” Mr Moon said.
“Hopefully, this will be one of those very hard life lessons that he will learn from and be able to move forward in his life. That’s what we really want.”
The sherif said Mr Charleston, who now works for another delivery company, told investigators that “he didn’t take anything, he just unloaded them because he didn’t want to deliver them”.
The incident allegedly caused damages worth $25,000, with 150 of the 400 dumped parcels able to reach their final destination. Many were missing barcodes or addresses when they were found by FedEx.
It occurred roughly 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Birmingham, Alabama. It was not clear if the 22-year-old had a lawyer.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press.
