Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Sept. 28, 2026:
12 arrested in chicken heist, drug bust
The Memphis Safe Task Force (MSTF) division of the U.S. Marshals and the Memphis Police Department’s Fugitive Unit announced the arrest of 12 individuals who were caught unloading boxes of chicken from a tractor-trailer behind a Memphis hotel.
While executing an arrest warrant for Javunte Johnson, 33, who was wanted for aggravated robbery, Johnson and 11 others were found unloading the pallets of chicken, valued at $250,000. All of the suspects fled, but the MSTF was able to arrest everyone.
According to local reports, the truck’s driver, Robert Wilson, was allegedly trading his load to pay off a drug debt.
In addition to the stolen chicken, Memphis police also recovered three firearms, approximately $110,000 worth of stolen merchandise, and deadly drugs, including fentanyl and cocaine.
The 12 individuals arrested and their charges:
- Javunte Johnson, 33 -- Aggravated Robbery, Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000, and Convicted Felon in Possession of a Handgun
- Robert Wilson, 56 -- Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000 and Evading Arrest to wit: Auto
- Quantrivious Shavers, 25 -- Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000, Convicted Felon in Possession of a Handgun, and Possession of a Controlled Substance with the Intent to Manufacture/Deliver/Sell to wit: Fentanyl
- Samuel Jackson, 38 -- Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000 and Possession of a Controlled Substance with the Intent to Manufacture/Deliver/Sell to wit: Cocaine
- John Shipp, 47 -- Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000
- Rico Jackson, 36 -- Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000
- Devean Hoyle, 45 -- Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000
- Trashawn Featherson, 35 -- Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000
- Robert Dishmon, 40 -- Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000
- Marcellous McKinney, 38 -- Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000 and Evading Arrest to wit: Auto
- Jessie Moore, 37 -- Convicted Felon in Possession of a Handgun and Evading Arrest to wit: Foot Pursuit
- Alexis Pike, 21 -- Evading Arrest to wit: Foot Pursuit and Theft of Property Less Than $1000 (X2)
Mid-size fleet raises hazmat driver pay
Pinnacle Trucking, a 53-truck fleet out of Florence, New Jersey, has announced a 10 cents-per-mile pay increase on all placarded hazmat loads.
The increase brings the company’s starting mileage pay for those loads to 75 cpm. Pinnacle's standard starting mileage rate is 65 cpm.
“Our drivers take on additional responsibility when they haul placarded hazmat freight, and we believe that responsibility deserves additional compensation,” said Ron Till, Driver Relations Manager for Pinnacle Trucking LLC.
Pinnacle specializes in multi-stop and full-load transportation between Florence and major cities east of I-35.
Former warehousing company VP guilty for lying about dumping hazardous waste
Michael J. Hale, 65, of Lockport, New York, has pleaded guilty to making a materially false statement in relation to the dumping of hazardous waste. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo for the Western District of New York, in December 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) executed a search warrant at 3800 Highland Avenue in Niagara Falls, New York, involving an investigation into the improper storage and disposal of hand sanitizer.
The investigation began following a tip from a community member in October 2023 that a large quantity of hand sanitizer had been dumped outside. During the search, EPA documented the presence of expired hand sanitizer that had been dumped on the property outside in a pile measuring 73 feet long, by 24 feet wide, by five feet high.
Samples were taken of the hand sanitizer and determined it to be ignitable according to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), meaning the hand sanitizer was considered a hazardous waste.
At the time, Hale was vice president of Regional Logistics Group LLC, a warehousing business that was a tenant at the location. Investigators called Hale during the search and asked how the hand sanitizer got on the property, to which he replied that he had no idea and didn’t know when the hand sanitizer had been brought to Highland Avenue.
However, Hale knew and was aware that the hand sanitizer had been dumped outside 3800 Highland Avenue and had been originally brought to Highland Avenue between January and May of 2022.
Hale’s sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 22.
