Driver Pleads No Contest in Theft of $14,000 in Goods
A FedEx contract driver accused of stealing packages he was supposed to deliver pleaded no contest Tuesday to a charge of grand theft, a prosecutor said.
Russell Carnes was accused of taking packages worth about $14,000 from his delivery truck from October to November, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Rouman Ebrahim. His delivery route was in the Antelope Valley.
Carnes was arrested after the company launched an internal investigation when packages appeared to be missing, Ebrahim said. Authorities recovered about $6,500 worth of goods.
Carnes faced a maximum of three years in state prison for the grand theft charge. He had no prior criminal record. In exchange for his early plea and agreement to pay restitution, Carnes will serve 180 days in county jail and five years’ probation, Ebrahim said.
Carnes made his plea before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Richard Spann. He will be sentenced Feb. 1.
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