The CSX train had come to a stop in the area of Rozell Street and Evelyn Avenue in Midtown, waiting for signal lights to send it on its way west. It was late the night of November 30, 2020.
That’s when burglars made their move. Acting quickly and silently, they broke into a boxcar. Inside were boxes containing 65-inch flat-screen Sony television sets. The thieves grabbed as many as would fit in their vehicle and fled. A total of 48 TVs valued at $33,600 were stolen.
Two days later a citizen called CrimeStoppers with a tip.
A James “Shipp” was selling stolen Sony TVs out of a residence on Boyd Street near downtown and was using a gray van to transport them, the tipster said. Soon Memphis Police detectives had the house under surveillance. They observed several TVs leaving the house.
A search warrant was obtained and executed. Inside the house detectives detained two suspects, James Polk and Alfred Hyde, and searched the premises. They found:
• Two Sony flat-screen TVs
• 26.2 grams of Fentanyl
• 2.9 grams of powder cocaine
• 1.3 pounds marijuana and 4 Oxycodone pills
• One Glock handgun and one assault rifle
Police also seized a dodge caravan and $2,926 in cash. Polk was charged with burglary,
possession of a firearm while committing a felony, possession of controlled substances with the intent to sell, and being a felon in possession of a gun. Hyde was charged with burglary and theft of property.
Polk and Hyde were held on $125,000 and $15,000 bonds respectively. Both men have long conviction records and face the possibility many years in prison. Polk’s record includes burglary, aggravated assault and second-degree murder; Hyde had been convicted in the past for burglary and theft.
Awarded to the tipster in this case: $600.
