Panama City FedEx driver accused of stealing expensive packages
PANAMA CITY – A local couple have been arrested after the boyfriend, a driver for FedEx, was found to be stealing packages, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said.
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The driver and his co-defendant are 35 and 30, respectively.
According to the sheriff’s office arrest affidavit, detectives were contacted by a security specialist at FedEx who had been looking into customer complaints about disputed deliveries. The security specialist initially thought that this was the result of driver error, as the male suspect was a new hire.
When this became a pattern of missing and disputed deliveries on the male suspect’s route, FedEx security began investigating.
One customer was waiting for a laptop to arrive that required her signature upon delivery. She was notified that it had been delivered, however the signature had been determined to be forged. Once the customer located the package, she opened it up and found a bag of popcorn instead.
The customer said she was willing to prosecute and filed a police report in Walton County.
Surveillance footage from the FedEx truck showed that the male suspect had purchased a bag of popcorn from a gas station in Ebro between 9:48 and 9:51 a.m. on Sept. 23. The laptop was documented as delivered at 12:44 p.m. on Sept. 23.
According to a release from BCSO, when the customer confronted him, the suspect said he did not work for FedEx despite wearing a FedEx uniform and driving a FedEx truck.
The affidavit says that when the male suspect was interviewed by FedEx security, he admitted to stealing items from unaccounted deliveries, as well as two additional stolen items that were subsequently recovered from his home.
Investigators found that most of the items never left Bay County, as the male suspect would take them directly to his home on Star Lane in Panama City.
“This was corroborated through in-vehicle video recorded inside the FedEx delivery truck. Multiple recordings show (the suspect) repackaging packages while inside the vehicle,” reads the affidavit. “GPS data further corroborated the investigation by placing (the suspect) at his residence shortly before he returned the FedEx truck to the warehouse.”
Investigators with FedEx started going through other disputed tracking numbers, where the package either wasn’t delivered or they got an item that they did not order.
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The male suspect reportedly returned several items but would not let FedEx into his home. He gave the items back he remembered taking, according to the affidavit.
Further investigation found customers on his route were getting products that weren’t what they purchased. One customer had ordered the new iPhone 18 Pro Max but received a used Samsung phone.
BCSO executed a search warrant at the home of the suspects, and the male suspect reportedly said he wanted to speak to investigators. The affidavit says that the male suspect told investigators that this had been going on for about a month, and that the initial temptation was from seeing items that he personally wanted or needed.
The male suspect reportedly started with smaller items, but the thefts escalated to the point that he had brought home a 70-inch TV. The affidavit says he would drop the items off at his home on the way back to work.
“(The suspect) further admitted to replacing an older computer and cellular phone with new items taken from FedEx. He stated that he had repackaged and resealed the original packages in an attempt to conceal the thefts,” reads the affidavit. “(The suspect) acknowledged that he was aware the vehicle he operated was equipped with cameras and GPS tracking but stated that the temptation to obtain the items without paying for them became overwhelming.”
His girlfriend was reportedly initially worried about the thefts, but would eventually become comfortable with the practice once the items began benefitting their household, according to the affidavit. She reportedly told the investigators that she was aware of the stolen packages but that she and her boyfriend had been using the items.
Both suspects assisted investigators in locating stolen items that had not yet been reported as missing. BCSO estimated the total value of these items to be approximately $10,000.
The man was arrested on Oct. 1 and charged with grand theft and ongoing scheme to defraud. The female suspect was charged with accessory after the fact to grand theft.
An inmate lookup shows that both are still in the Bay County Jail without bond as of Oct. 2 at 2 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City FedEx driver accused of stealing expensive packages
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Reporting by Dylan Gentile, Panama City News Herald / The News Herald
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
This story was originally published October 5, 2026 at 5:14 AM.
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