JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Clay County man is accused of stealing more than $650,000 in jewelry last month from a Rolls-Royce owned by Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco while it was parked at a Jacksonville hotel, according to multiple media reports.
According to a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office report obtained and first reported by ESPN, Kahlil Eugene Mathis, 24, used a wrench to break into Franco’s Rolls-Royce Cullinan at 3 a.m. on June 22 and grabbed a safe that contained the jewelry.
It happened when Franco when was on a minor league rehabilitation assignment with the Triple-A Durham Bulls and staying at the DoubleTree Hotel on the Southbank for a game against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
ESPN reported the man is accused of taking a $60 safe from the rear of the vehicle that held:
- A $300,000 gold, diamond-encrusted Cuban link chain and circle medallion with diamonds and a W in the center
- A $200,000 rose gold Cuban link chain with diamonds
- A $70,000 gold pendant with a medallion in green and blue lettering spelling “FRANCO 5″
- A $44,000 Platinum Rolex watch with diamonds
- A $20,000 American League championship ring
- A $20,000 championship ring from Durham
- A $5,000 gold pendant of Jerry the mouse from the “Tom and Jerry” cartoon
The former No. 1 prospect in Major League Baseball signed an 11-year, $182 million contract with the Rays in November, ESPN reported.
According to the arrest report, Mathis was also linked to several other auto burglaries in San Marco and the Southbank. He now faces a total of 24 charges connected to nine separate incidents, jail records show.
ESPN reported that Mathis sold some of the jewelry, and police identified him through a driver’s license and thumbprint he gave at a pawn shop before he was arrested on July 4.
Following his arrest, the two championship rings were found in his Southside apartment, according to the Florida Times-Union.
Jail records show Mathis has a court date scheduled for Aug. 1 and is being held on $906,566 bond.