Authorities in North Carolina have charged a former FedEx driver with theft and animal cruelty after he allegedly stole a mini French bulldog, which later died because of his actions.
FedEx driver steals and kills family’s mini French bulldog
Kimani Joehon Marshall, 44, from Fayetteville, surrendered to police on Monday and faces charges of dog theft, possession of stolen property, and cruelty to animals, according to Harnett County Sheriff Wayne Coats.
Marshall is accused of stealing Tori, a $5,500 French bulldog, on July 3 while on his delivery route and continuing to drop off packages, which reportedly led to the dog’s death in the vehicle.
“Investigators believe that K-9 Tori died due to heat related issues as she traveled inside the FEDEX truck as temperatures were reportedly in the 90’s,” Coats reported.
Tori’s family desperately posted flyers with a reward for her return, but the dog’s tiny body was eventually discovered a week later on July 10 in Lillington.
Investigators were able to determine Marshall had been delivering packages in the area, when he snatched the pooch. An arrest warrant was issued the following day.
Marshall was booked into jail under a $50,000 secured bond, which he later posted to go free.
FedEx driver loses job after killing mini French Bulldog
FedEx refrained from commenting on Marshall’s employment status at the time of the incident but confirmed he no longer works for the company.
In a statement, FedEx expressed their condolences to the affected family, stressing the “importance” of pets and regretting the pain caused by the incident.
“The driver is no longer providing service on behalf of FedEx,” the statement added.
UPS driver kills dog with package
In a separate, but equally heart-breaking incident, a woman in North Hills, Los Angeles accused a UPS driver of killing her dog after negligently tossing a package over her front gate.
Naria Harutjunjan told KCAL that she found her dog, Lulu, unable to move after retrieving the package off of her body.
Surveillance footage reportedly shows the driver throwing the package over the gate, and was corroborated by a neighbor who witnessed the incident.
Harutjunjan mentioned that her dogs had been playing in the yard the driver dropped the package over the fence without ringing her doorbell.
She found Lulu under the package and was pronounced dead at an animal hospital after she raced her beloved dog for emergency medical care.
Harutjunjan has since retained a lawyer and is considering suing UPS and Amazon. UPS issued a statement acknowledging the incident and confirming an ongoing investigation.
“We are certainly concerned and have been in contact with the customer. We are investigating and will take appropriate action,” the company said.
Amazon driver steals pit bull puppy
An another incident in Georgia, an Amazon driver was accused of attempting to steal a customer’s dog.
Terrika Currence from Henry County, Atlanta, recounted how her young daughter spotted the driver luring their young pit bull into his truck.
“As I open the door to put the package in the house, and the dog food, my daughter screams and says, ‘The Amazon guy stole our puppy!’” Currence recalled.
Currence confronted the driver and captured video footage of her dog inside the vehicle.
In the footage she can be heard screaming obscenities at the driver before she pulled open the truck’s rear door and found her dog inside.
“As soon as I opened the truck, he has the puppy inside of a bin. I had to grab the puppy and get him off the truck,” Currence recalled.
She took her dog back and the driver did not give an explanation or an apology for kidnapping her dog.
Currance said her daughter is now terrified any time a delivery driver comes to their home. “She’s in fear that every time a delivery driver comes, they’re potentially going to take the puppy.”
Amazon responded by stating they had apologized to the customer and the driver involved is no longer delivering for the company. They have also contacted law enforcement to aid in the investigation.
Currence expressed relief over the driver’s termination but voiced concerns about his potential to steal another dog.
“If he’s doing things like that, I’m sure, you know it’s in his character. He’ll do it again,” she said.
