MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A man is now in custody after police say he broke into a warehouse in southeast Memphis and stole 751 cellphones, which were over $75,000.
Ralphael Boddie, 40, is charged with burglary of a building and theft of property.
On November 20, Memphis Police say they took a report due to a burglary of Envoy Source Warehouse on Shelby Drive the day before. An employee stated that a suspect pried the dock door open to get into the warehouse.
According to reports, the suspect stole 751 cell phones that were awaiting shipment elsewhere. Each phone was $100.
Video footage showed a dark-colored Lexus sedan pull to the scene and two suspects commit the burglary.
MPD says they found the Lexus parked on Blue Diamond Street in southwest Memphis after receiving a CrimeStoppers tip. The tip also stated that Ralph Boddie was the suspect.
After further investigation, police say the car was solely registered to Boddie.
On Blue Diamond Street, police also say they saw 30 separate boxes in the backseat of the Lexus. One of the boxes had a visible sticker that listed several of the IMEI numbers for some of the stolen phones from the warehouse.
The car was impounded, and a search warrant was obtained on the Lexus. Officers say there were 59 separate boxes worth of stolen cell phones recovered from the vehicle. Each box contained five cell phones.
A total of 295 separate IMEI numbers were matched to the stolen cell phones from the burglary, which was $29,500 worth of recovered stolen property, according to reports.
The general manager of the warehouse stated that Ralphael Boddie was not permitted to go into the warehouse, damage any of the property, or take any of the cell phones that were stolen.
Boddie was then arrested. His next court date is scheduled for Wednesday morning.