A former UPS employee is facing theft charges in Houston, Texas, after allegedly stealing an Apple iPad Mini that a Fedex delivery person had left at a homeowner’s doorstep.
Al Alverson told KHOU11 News he was expecting two packages Wednesday, one from Fedex and one from UPS. The one from Fedex was an iPad Mini, a Christmas gift for his daughter. When he didn’t find the Apple tablet, he said he contacted Fedex, which assured him it had been delivered at 9:29 a.m.
Alverson said he checked video from a surveillance camera mounted above his front door and, sure enough, it showed a Fedex employee delivering the iPad. Alverson said he continued looking at the video and saw that a UPS employee had delivered another package at 1:15 p.m.
The video, obtained by KHOU11, showed that as the UPS employee rang the doorbell, he looked at the other packages on the porch and walked away. Two minutes later, the video showed the man dress brown UPS attire returning, picking up the box with the Apple tablet, inspecting the label, placing it under a handheld shipping keypad device and walking off.
Alverson told KHOU11 he posted the surveillance video on YouTube because he felt he was getting the runaround after he contacted UPS, but the company later assured him it would replace the iPad, which it did, he said. “I got a call … and they were very helpful. They promised they would give me an iPad replacement.”
UPS spokeswoman Natalie Godwin in Atlanta said Friday the UPS staffer was a seasonal worker hired to help drivers with deliveries. She said the worker, whom she would not identify, was fired Thursday. He was arrested by the Harris County Sheriff’s Department and taken to the county jail in Texas.
“UPS is cooperating with the investigation” said Godwin, who added that all UPS workers undergo criminal background checks before being hired.
Godwin said this was a record week for UPS delivers, with 135 million packages delivered around the world. Thursday was also its busiest day so far with 28 million packages delivered.
“Every year, unfortunately, we have criminals who follow behind the UPS delivery trucks,” Godwin said.
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