Two men were arrested for grand larceny in South Carolina under suspicion of stealing $40,000 worth of boneless chicken breasts from a chicken plant.
The chicken heist happened on May 9, according to statements from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office first arrested Antonio Blackwell, 30, on May 22 in relation to the case, investigators said.
On May 25, the office posted online asking for the public’s help finding 37-year-old Jeremy McFadden, who turned himself in the next day.
Both men were released on $20,000 bonds, the sheriff’s office said.
Pilgrim’s Pride did not immediately respond to requests for comment but a Facebook page for McFadden listed him as an employee for the company.
Mark Bordeaux, a spokesman for the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, said both men worked for Pilgrim’s Pride for 10 years.
He said employees at Pilgrim’s Pride in Sumter noticed “potentially faulty documents that appeared to attempt to hide a shipment.” Management contacted the sheriff’s office for an investigation and that’s how the company found out about the missing $40,000 in poultry.
“The investigation is ongoing, and more arrests are probable,” Bordeaux said in an email to USA TODAY.
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When the police department shared McFadden’s information on Facebook, social media users chimed in with comments of their own. Some praised the man for pulling it off.
“I’m not even mad,” wrote one user. “I’m impressed.”
Others took the opportunity to comment on how bad the economy is.
“So in today’s economy he essentially walked out with 10 pounds of chicken breasts and a few wings,” said one user.