Knoxville, Tenn. — Two individuals working as janitorial staff for a contracted service have been charged in connection with the theft of several laptops from a Tennessee Department of Finance Administration (TDOFA) office in Knoxville.
According to court records, an officer with the Knoxville Police Department responded to the TDOFA office located in the 7100 block of Strawberry Plains Pike on February 4. The department had reported the theft of seven brand-new laptops, prompting an investigation.
A TDOFA employee informed the officer that the laptops had gone missing from a locked storeroom. Further investigation revealed that two janitorial workers—Aijlon Clemmons, 27, and Trinity Gillette, 24—had gained unauthorized access to the office after hours using a physical master key and a visitor scan badge. The workers reportedly entered the office without the knowledge of the cleaning service company they were employed by.
Both Clemmons and Gillette have been charged with theft of property valued between $2,500 and $10,000. According to Knoxville police, the employees were terminated from their positions following the discovery of the theft.
Six of the seven stolen laptops, valued at approximately $8,879, were recovered after they were sold at various locations around Knoxville. Police were able to trace the sales through personal identification details used by the suspects during the transactions. Surveillance footage captured both Clemmons and Gillette engaging in the sale of the stolen items.
Clemmons and Gillette are scheduled to appear in court this Friday for further proceedings.
