A FedEx driver in Florida is accused of swiping packages along his route, even swapping out a laptop for a tasty snack of popcorn.
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According to Tampa Bay outlet Fox 13, when the would-be laptop owner confronted the apparent FedEx employee, they fell back on a wild denial.
Late last month, the Bay County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) arrested 35-year-old Justin Varnes and his 30-year-old girlfriend, Haeley Olson, after looking into a slew of reports of missing FedEx packages. Per Fox 13, investigators gathered a heap of evidence against Varnes, who worked as a FedEx delivery driver. This included discovering packages intended to be delivered on his route at his Bay County home.
In something of a massive boner of the part of the suspect, investigators also accessed in-vehicle surveillance footage...
Among the deep bench of fancy items Varnes allegedly swiped were laptops, electric bicycles, and a swanky 70-inch TV.
The BCSO alleges that, in one instance, Varnes took out a customer's laptop and shoved a bag of popcorn in. He then reportedly resealed the package and marked it as delivered for his FedEx bosses.
Suspect Denied Being a FedEx Driver When Confronted, Despite Wearing a FedEx Uniform and Driving a FedEx-Marked Vehicle
In a somewhat bizarre turn, investigators allege that Varnes was confronted by the customer, who was outraged that their device was replaced with a low-calorie snack. Despite driving a FedEx-marked vehicle and wearing a FedEx uniform, the BCSO alleges that Varnes inexplicably denied working for the company to the irate customer.
Meanwhile, investigators also determined that Varnes allegedly marked many items as delivered without bothering with a dupe package. The BCSO allegedly recovered the landslide of packages at Varnes' home. They noted that several of the items hadn't even been reported as missing yet.
The sheriff's office alleges that the value of all of the items taken off of the FedEx driver's route rings in at around $10,000.
According to Fox 13, Varnes' girlfriend, Olson, shed more light on the alleged scheme to investigators. She squealed on her beau, telling investigators he brought home multiple packages from their route. She added that they even opened and enjoyed using several items.
The BCSO charged Varnes with "grand theft involving property valued between $5,000 and $10,000." He was also smacked with an additional charge of "ongoing scheme to defraud." His cooperative girlfriend was charged with "accessory after the fact to grand theft involving property valued between $5,000 and $10,000."
Meanwhile, the investigation is ongoing and more charges may be filed.
The bag of popcorn was also taken in by the BCSO as evidence.
