Two Sevier County teenagers charged in $75K jewelry theft
Two Sevier County teens, including a onetime University of Tennessee Vols football commitment, have been charged in connection with the theft of $75,000 in jewelry from a Sevierville home, authorities said.
Dorian Xavier Banks and Frankie Thomas, both 18, are each charged with one count of felony theft following the May 5 burglary on St. Ives Drive, Sevierville Police Department Detective Dweese Milliron said.
The homeowner had left that morning to take her son to school, arming the home’s security system. The doors locked automatically, according to an incident report.
Seven minutes later a home security camera recorded two males as they approached the front door. One of the intruders used the homeowner’s password to unlock the door and deactivate the alarm before they both entered the house, the report states.
The burglars went directly to a bedroom, opened the top drawer of the dresser and grabbed a small blue bag. The bag contained a diamond solitaire ring, a diamond ruby in a white gold ring, a diamond ruby Bengal bracelet and a large square ruby ring with diamond tassels. The four items collectively were valued at $75,000, according to the incident report.
“Also in the top drawer of the dresser are several other somewhat ornate small bags containing miscellaneous jewelry,” the report states. “This other jewelry is primarily costume jewelry and of lesser value. It did not appear that these bags had been rummaged through, nor was anything else taken from the residence.”
The burglars left approximately five minutes after entering the house.
Milliron said none of the jewelry has been recovered. The investigation continues into how the thieves knew where and what to look for, he added.
Banks, a 2016 graduate of Sevier County High School and former star running back, pledged to UT as a sophomore, but later decommitted for academic reasons. He ended up at Northeast Mississippi Community College instead.
Thomas recently graduated from Northview Academy in Kodak, Tenn.