A Virginia man says he was fired by his employer after being arrested on a false accusation that he stole a package from the company.
James Humphrey, who formerly worked for GBRS Group as a shipping manager, shared body camera footage on TikTok from his arrest on December 4, 2023.
Video shows a GBRS Group employee telling Virginia Beach police officers "We saw him leave with the box." Company security footage showed Humphrey leaving with a box that contained a BCM lower, a part of an AR-15 rifle, and returning to the building without it.
“He didn’t send it?” an officer asked the employee in body camera footage. “No, it’s still outstanding. The shipment still hasn’t been scanned in,” the man responded.
In a separate video, Humphrey, who deals with hundreds of packages a day, said he and his coworker were asked about a missing package with no shipping number two weeks before his arrest. Unsure of its whereabouts, Humphrey said he suggested his employer check the security footage.
“They had checked the cameras over the weekend, and it’s me walking out with the box, leaving for like 6 minutes and coming back without the box,” Humphrey said in a TikTok video. “It might’ve been after I dropped it off somewhere, FedEx, UPS."
When police arrived at Humphrey's workplace, he said he thought they were coming to buy some belts, but the "whole time, they coming to get me." Officers arrested Humphrey on charges of grand larceny.
Officers were transporting Humphrey to jail when they received a call that the alleged stolen package was returned to GBRS Group, the man said.
“He went to the magistrate and said, ‘drop the larceny charge, the package came back,’ and I’m like, ‘what? God is working!’” Humphrey added.
Despite being cleared of the crime, Humphrey said he was fired two days after the incident.
“Despite the swift discovery of the item and my innocence, the repercussions have been severe,” Humphrey wrote on his GoFundMe page, which has drawn in over $52,000 in donations. “I have lost my job, my reputation has been tarnished, and I am left to pick up the pieces and rebuild my life from scratch,” he said.
Humphrey said he likely took the package to FedEx instead of UPS by mistake. He believes FedEx realized that the package was meant for UPS, and a courier returned it to Humphrey's former employer.
Humphrey started a GoFundMe campaign, saying “I refuse to accept this miscarriage of justice lying down. I am committed to fighting for my rights, clearing my name and seeking restitution for the wrongful termination and the damage done to my reputation and livelihood.”
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