Left: French bulldog Tori (Lori Kemmerer/Facebook). Right: Kimani Marshall (Harnett County Sheriff’s Office)
A FedEx driver is behind bars after he allegedly stole a French bulldog only to leave her behind in his sweltering delivery truck where she died, cops in North Carolina say.
Kimani Marshall, 44, is facing charges of larceny of a dog, possession of stolen goods or property and cruelty to animals. Detectives with the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office believe Marshall swiped the tan and white dog named Tori valued at $5,500 while on his route on July 3 after the dog had apparently gotten loose. He then continued to deliver packages.
“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,” Sheriff Wayne Coats said in a statement.
Cops recovered the dog’s body on July 10. Marshall and the dog’s owner knew each other. Marshall had asked the owner if she would be interested in breeding the dog but she declined, Coats said.
Marshall turned himself in at the Harnett County Detention Center on Monday. He has since posted a $50,000 bond.
FedEx said in a statement that Marshall no longer works for the company.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the family on the loss of their beloved pet,” the statement said. “We understand the importance of people’s pets in their lives and deeply regret the pain that this has caused. The driver is no longer providing service on behalf of FedEx.”
The owner documented the frantic search for the dog on her Facebook page. She said the Tori had escaped the evening of July 3.
“We are heart broken to say the least. Tori will never survive being out in the heat. I am so hoping someone picked her up. Please help me find Tori,” she wrote.
Tori had a microchip which showed someone had picked her up, the owner said. Cops contacted her on July 10 to say they found the dog deceased on the side of the road. She then told her Facebook friends that an arrest warrant had been issued in the case.
“The Fed Ex scum was charged with two felonies and cruelty to an animal,” she wrote.
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