KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Two people suspected of stealing $24,000 worth of mattresses were arrested by Knoxville Police West District patrol officers Tuesday afternoon following an organized meetup at Inskip Ball Park set up through Facebook, according to the Knoxville Police Department.
The suspects have been identified as 48-year-old Jack Toomire and 46-year-old Danyell Daniel. Both have been charged with felony theft; plus Toomire had an outstanding warrant out of Jefferson County for a probation violation.
KPD says the MLILY brand mattresses had been stolen from a shipping company, Foothills Brokerage, on Western Avenue and an employee of the company reported seeing a woman attempting to sell the mattresses out of a flatbed trailer attached to a Ford pickup truck at an Alcoa flea market. The stolen mattresses were also seen on Facebook Marketplace for resale.
According to the investigation report, the owner of the warehouse from where the mattresses were taken told officers there are only two shipping companies that ship and package that particular brand of mattress in the region; Foothills Brokerage packages and ships these in such a way that their packaging and labeling are unique from the other shipping company. The owner had checked his inventory and discovered that the warehouse was missing 12 mattresses and another employee saw the mattresses on Facebook.
A shipping company employee orchestrated through Facebook to purchase the mattresses for $3,500 for all 12 of them.
Once the Foothills Brokerage employee set up the meeting at Inskip Ball Park, officers in the area stopped the suspected truck, which was pulling a trailer hauling the stolen mattresses. Officers made contact with the two suspects and KPD says Daniel ran from the truck after the initial traffic stop but was quickly apprehended.
“Excellent work by West District patrol officers and additional KPD personnel, who arrested two individuals who were in possession of 12 stolen MLILY brand mattresses valued at around $24,000 total on Tuesday afternoon after an extensive investigation,” KPD tweeted Wednesday morning.
Both Toomire and Daniel are scheduled to appear in court for their bonded arraignment hearings on Wednesday, June 1.