FedEx driver accused of stealing $17K in electronics from Walmart
31-year-old Austin Reichel is accused of stealing more than $17,000 worth of electronics from a Tulsa Walmart. (Credit: Tulsa Police)
TULSA, Okla. - A FedEx delivery driver is accused of stealing more than $17,000 worth of electronics from a Tulsa Walmart.
Dig deeper:
Tulsa police began investigating a series of high-end electronics thefts March 18 after Walmart reported a spike in missing packages, all linked to a single FedEx delivery driver.
In response, Walmart’s Asset Protection team placed tracking devices inside four packages, three of which were scheduled for delivery that day to the store at 207 S. Memorial Drive.
According to investigators, the driver, 31-year-old Austin Reichel, delivered two of the packages but kept the third.
Surveillance footage later showed Reichel discarding that package in a dumpster at 1828 N. 105 East Ave., along with packaging from other boxes he had marked as delivered earlier that day.
On March 19, authorities say another tracked package was loaded onto Reichel’s truck.
Although it was marked as delivered, it never reached its destination. Officers conducted a traffic stop shortly after Reichel left the Memorial Avenue location and found the missing package — containing AirPods and cell phones — still inside the truck.
Police estimate the total loss from the stolen electronics at approximately $17,330.33.
After his arrest, Reichel told officers he had a loaded handgun in a backpack inside the truck.
He was booked into the Tulsa County Jail on complaints of larceny from a retailer exceeding $15,000 and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
What they're saying:
FOX Television Stations has reached out to FedEx for comment.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the Tulsa Police Department’s investigation and arrest report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.