A Knoxville man has been charged with a slate of crimes, including burglary and theft, after he allegedly burglarized Underdog Collectibles, a store known for its collection of sports memorabilia, and made off with an estimated $22,000 worth of autographed jerseys. Cody Denning, 32, was arrested following an investigation that merged traditional police work with social media sleuthing.
Denning first drew suspicion on the evening of May 17, when he was reportedly scrutinizing various jerseys at the store, according to an employee, who claimed to have heard Denning tell his wife "he was coming back for them." The subsequent break-in occurred in the early hours of May 18, where Denning, alleged to have smashed the store's window, was documented by surveillance video re-entering the store twice, once at 2:15 a.m. and then again at 3:10 a.m., per court records.
The store was quick to react, posting images of the stolen jerseys and the suspect on its social media on May 18, in hopes of gaining leads from the community. WVLT News obtained a statement from the store, which noted on their Facebook page, "Thankfully, there wasn’t a lot of damage to the store and the only things that were stolen were about 20 jerseys including the jerseys seen in the pictures." The community-oriented approach yielded results; Denning was identified and subsequently linked to the crime.
A key piece of evidence came when Denning was seen on a ‘flock’ camera, with hats in his vehicle's rear window believed to have been pilfered during the burglary. But it was Denning's subsequent attempt to liquidate two of the stolen jerseys at Pro Image Sports in the West Town Mall that led to his undoing, WBIR reports. A vigilant store witness took down his name and number, provided under the alias "Brandon Nicly," a name later connected to one of Denning's family members.
Denning now faces formal charges, including theft of property amounting to $10,000-$60,000 and vandalism up to $1,000, with a preliminary hearing set for June 17. The incident serves as a reminder of the power of community engagement in solving crimes, and the often underappreciated value of collectible jerseys in the criminal underworld.
