Four arrested in burglary of two Blount homes

From Staff Reports

Four 18-year-old Blount County men were arrested Friday following the breaking and entering of two homes in south Blount County.

Robby J. Thomas Sneed, Mint Road, Maryville; Kenneth Wayne Bryant, Clendenen Road, Maryville; Caleb Tyler Burch, Henry Lane, Greenback; and Justin Lee Chafin, Bart Giffin Road, Maryville, are all in custody at the Blount County Jail.

Sneed was charged with burglary; Bryant, Burch and Chafin are each charged with one count of burglary and aggravated burglary. Thomas is being held on $5,000 bond, and Sneed, Bryant and Burch are each being held on bonds totaling $15,000 pending hearings at 9 a.m. May 23 in Blount County General Sessions Court.

Blount County Sheriff's deputies responded to the call of a suspicious vehicle -- a Chevrolet Blazer -- at a home on Cedargate Lane on Friday morning. A responding deputy spotted a vehicle matching that description at a house on Bert Garner Lane.

While checking the residence, he found the back door kicked in and voices coming from inside the house. Deputies saw one of the suspects jump through a window, and minutes later, two other suspects were seen running from the residence.

With the assistance of K-9 teams, three men were captured a short time later about 300 yards from the house. The three men were taken to jail.

During the course of the investigation, it was discovered that a fourth man -- Sneed -- was allegedly with the group on an earlier break-in to a detached garage on Mint Road. The items stolen from that residence, which included two boat motors, a hunting bow and a BB pistol, were all found at Sneed's home, where he was arrested.