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Updated: 11:17 PM EST Nov 28, 2023Infinite Scroll Enabled
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SUMTER COUNTY, S.C. —
A truck driver carrying a load of chickens from South Carolina to Georgia has been arrested and charged with a chicken heist, according to officials.
Christopher Thomas, 55, of Florence, was hired by Pilgrim’s Pride to deliver approximately 41,000 pounds of frozen chicken valued at approximately $80,000 to two locations in Milton, Georgia, according to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
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Investigators believe Thomas sold part of the load of chicken he was transporting in various locations, and they believed he was in the process of selling more when deputies performed a traffic stop on Saturday.
With the help of a tip, a Sumter County Sheriff’s Office investigator was able to arrest Thomas with the assistance of a Lee County Sheriff’s Office investigator and Lee County deputies.
Following the tip, deputies went to where Thomas had agreed to meet a buyer.
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When Thomas arrived, deputies turned on their blue lights for the traffic stop.
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After confirming that the truck and its contents was the truck in question, Thomas consented to a search of the truck.
Investigators found pallets inside the truck loaded with cases of the stolen frozen chicken from Pilgrim’s Pride, officials said.
Thomas was arrested and charged with breach of trust with fraudulent intent of a value of $10,000 or more.
He was arrested with about seven pallets loaded with 215 cases of chicken weighing 8,000 pounds remaining from the 41,000 pounds he started with, officials said.
They believe Thomas sold about 33,000 pounds of chicken.
Thomas was taken to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center and is being held on $50,000 bond, officials said.
If found guilty, Thomas can spend up to 10 years in prison.
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