Oneonta, Alabama (AP) — A man who dumped hundreds of FedEx luggage in a roadside ditch in Alabama told investigators that he was dealing with the death of his family and did not want to deliver the goods. The official said on Friday.
Blount County Sheriff Mark Moon has identified the suspect as 22-year-old Diandre Ray Shawn Charleston in Adamsville, Alabama. Charleston faced five warrants about cargo theft. It was not clear if he had a lawyer.
Charleston was delivering to another company on Friday, and sheriff officials were hoping to detain him at the end of the day, Moon said.
“He seems to have admitted that he was very sad about what he did, struggled in life and made bad choices,” Moon said. “Hopefully this will be one of the most difficult life lessons he can learn and move forward with. That’s what we really want.”
Luggage was found in November in a private canyon near the small town of Hayden, about 30 miles (50 km) north of Birmingham, officials said.
According to Moon, they included children’s toys and pet items, reflecting five separate dumps. Charleston worked for a contractor to deliver FedEx packages, he said.
Authorities were able to identify the correct destination for a little over 150 packages. However, according to Moon, they were unable to determine the correct address for nearly 250 other people. Moon valued these packages at nearly $ 25,000.
Following the discovery, agents guarded the site and FedEx sent multiple trucks and drivers from all over the South to remove the package, Sheriff said earlier.