A FedEx driver has been arrested after police claim he dumped packages in a forest because he was running late on his route.
The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office arrested contracted FedEx worker Latavion Lewis last week, according to a statement shared Saturday. He now faces charges of organized scheme to defraud, grand theft and illegal dumping.
Officers made the arrest after residents reported several dumped packages in the woods or on the side of the road in the city of Bonifay. The sheriff’s office then contacted FedEx to help identify the driver.
The search led them to Lewis, a contracted worker from Alabama. He agreed to meet with deputies at the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office.
A total 44 parcels that the contracted FedEX driver dumped have been recovered. (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Lewis “admitted to deputies” that he dumped the undelivered packages around the area rather than return them to the FedEx warehouse because it was late at night, according to the statement from the sheriff’s office.
Police have since recovered 44 packages and returned them to a local post office to make sure they’re sent to their owners.
“Sheriff [John] Tate commends the quick work of HCSO deputies in identifying and apprehending the suspect and thanks to the Bonifay Post Office for their role in locating and delivering the recovered packages,” the sheriff’s office statement read.
Lewis is no longer affiliated with FedEx, a company spokesperson told The Independent.
“This incident is completely unacceptable as the safe and secure transport of our customers’ shipments is a top priority, and we are fully cooperating with authorities in their investigation,” the spokesperson said. “In addition to being charged with criminal offenses, the individual involved is no longer providing service for our company.”
Holmes County is home to nearly 20,000 residents and located in the Florida panhandle, just south of the Alabama border. Bonifay is just under 100 miles from Tallahassee, Florida.
The Independent contacted the Holmes County Jail for more information and was told officers would not be available to comment until December 27. The Independent has also contacted FedEx for comment.
