The magic of Christmas nearly disappeared for 80 households in Lakeville when an Amazon delivery driver abandoned a large number of packages in a wooded area just days before the holiday. Fortunately, the diligence of a local police sergeant prevented the situation from turning into a true nightmare for the affected families in Massachusetts.
What happened to the Amazon packages in Lakeville?
In the early hours of Sunday, around 2 a.m., Sergeant Shawn Robert of the Lakeville Police Department was on a routine patrol when he noticed something unusual near 63 Bedford Street.
Upon approaching a wooded area, he found “three large bins filled with Amazon packages scattered several meters into the woods,” according to an official statement from the Lakeville Police Department. The bins, containing a total of 80 packages, were immediately transported to the local police station.
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Why did an Amazon delivery driver abandon packages before Christmas?
The story took an unexpected turn the next day when an Amazon delivery driver came to the police station to confess responsibility.
The employee, whose identity has not been revealed, admitted to abandoning the packages around 7 p.m. on Saturday “because he was stressed.” He also claimed he intended to report the incident to his supervisor.
Lakeville Police Chief Matthew Perkins stated, “I am proud of the way our Lakeville police officers handled and investigated this matter. At this time, we are not seeking criminal charges and consider this a human resources matter for Amazon.” Chief Perkins added that the Amazon delivery driver, Christmas, was the period when he felt most stressed.
What happened to the abandoned Amazon packages?
Since the Lakeville police had no reports of stolen or missing packages, they contacted a local Amazon distribution center in Middleborough to return the packages. “Sergeant Robert likely prevented a Christmas headache for many local residents by noticing these bins and returning them to Amazon, hopefully in time for holiday delivery,” commented Chief Perkins.
“I would like to commend Sergeant Shawn Robert for discovering these unattended packages while on a routine patrol,” added Chief Perkins.
Although the Lakeville police have not filed criminal charges against the Amazon delivery driver, Christmas was mentioned as the main reason for his stress. The case has been considered an internal human resources matter for the company.
Amazon faces a strike during the holiday season
While Amazon customers in Lakeville had a happy ending, others across the United States have been affected by a national strike of Amazon warehouse workers during the holiday season.
On Thursday, December 19, Amazon workers walked off the job and formed picket lines at warehouses in New York City, Atlanta, Southern California, San Francisco, and Skokie, Illinois.
Hundreds of Amazon fulfillment centers have also been the target of protests across the country in what the Teamsters union has called the largest e-commerce protests in a week before Christmas. “If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien in a statement.
The Teamsters have demanded that Amazon open negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement with them. Amazon, for its part, has claimed that the Teamsters coerced many of its employees to join their ranks.
“For more than a year, the Teamsters have continued to deliberately mislead the public, claiming they represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers.’ This is not true,” said an Amazon spokesperson, adding that the Teamsters “have actively threatened and intimidated employees to join.”
With information from NBC
