The arrest of an ex-contract driver for FedEx was announced Friday afternoon after he admitted to dumping hundreds of packages in an east Alabama ravine late last month.

Blount County Sheriff Mark Moon announced around 3 p.m. Friday the former driver has been identified as Deandre Rayshaun Charleston, 22, of Adamsville. He was located a few days ago in north Jefferson County and confessed to dumping the packages in the ravine near Hayden five separate times between Nov. 17 and Nov. 24.

Charleston was a sub-contractor driver who delivered packages for FedEx and was terminated by his company almost immediately after the dumped packages were discovered.

Moon said Charleston is currently working for another delivery company and will be arrested once he completes his shift. The specific charge Charleston is facing has not been released, but Moon said it is a Class D felony.

During questioning, Moon said Charleston was "very respectful" and "cooperative." He told investigators he was remorseful for dumping the packages and had made poor choices while dealing with a death in his family.

"I know there's a lot of people out there that want to just throw this guy away, throw away the key and never give him any hope of a life ever. That's not my intentions and that's not my hope," Moon said. "I hope this is a life lesson that can change him and give him a better work ethic, a better understanding of people's needs where he can move on from here and become a thriving citizen in our city, in our state."

On Thanksgiving, drivers from around the country came to the Blount County location to load up the packages and take them to the Bessemer Distribution Center to deliver what was salvageable.

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Moon said out of those packages, 153 were able to be scanned and delivered, but 247 were not able to be recognized, making delivery impossible. Those packages were undeliverable due to un-scannable barcodes or illegible addresses and/or names. Moon said the total merchandise amount for the undeliverable packages was around $24,700.

The sheriff's office said they are not sure if this case is related to the FedEx packages found dumped in another Alabama location a few days later.

After hundreds of FedEx packages were found dumped in an Alabama ravine last week, police in another county say more discarded packages were found in a wooded area.

Video above: Investigation launched after hundreds of packages found in Alabama ravine

Following the latest discovery, Jemison police released the following statement on social media:

"The Jemison Police Department has recovered approximately 20 or more Fed Ex packages that appear to have been dumped just off the road alongside County Road 166. The packages include shipping addresses on County Roads 166, 48, 51, 164, 42, 29, 43, 936, and North Dakota Road. We are in the process of contacting officials with Fed Ex so that they can investigate this situation and contact their customers."

Hours after the discovery in Chilton County, FedEx released the following statement to sister station WVTM Wednesday afternoon:

"We are appalled to learn of this incident and can confirm that efforts are immediately underway to retrieve and deliver the packages to their intended recipients. We will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement during their investigation, including any criminal prosecution of, or civil action against, the individuals responsible. Customers with questions or concerns about their shipments are encouraged to visit fedex.com for updates."

The investigation began last Wednesday when hundreds of packages were found in a ravine on private property near the small town of Hayden in Blount County.

The Blount County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday a FedEx driver dumped packages in and outside the county on multiple occasions.

"Investigators have determined that the driver dumped at least six times making FedEx a victim of six different Theft of Property cases," Sheriff Mark Moon said on social media. "As of right now we are looking at around 450 individual victims, some in Blount County some not, that investigators are attempting to work their cases."

The sheriff asked for the public to be patient as authorities continue to investigate.

"This will not be an easy or fast case to close," Moon said. "Again I am asking for patience from our citizens as our investigators work through this case."

After news spread on social media, drivers from around the country flocked to the area to help recover the packages.

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FedEx said it was cooperating with investigators and that the person involved was no longer providing service for FedEx Ground. It said it would deliver recovered packages where possible and seek resolution for damaged shipments.

The company also released the following statement to WVTM on Monday:

“The security of our customers’ shipments is a top priority and we are committed to treating our customers’ packages with the utmost care. In addition to cooperating with law enforcement, we have reviewed this situation and can confirm that the individual involved is no longer providing service on behalf of FedEx Ground.

"We regret the inconvenience this situation has caused and appreciate our customers’ understanding throughout the package recovery process. Where possible, recovered packages are being delivered to the intended recipients. In the event of a damaged shipment, we will make every effort to work with the affected shippers to reach a resolution. As always, customers with questions about their shipments can track their packages by visiting https://fedex.com.”