Jewelry Theft On the Rise in NWA
By: Cassidy Hodges
Updated: October 4, 2012
The Benton County Sheriff's Office says thieves are breaking into rural homes during the day, stealing jewelry and then pawning it.
"Rings, necklaces, earrings, anything they can get their hands on," says Sgt. Kenneth Paul, with the Benton County Sheriff's Office
Jewlery is disappearing from homes across Benton County
"The last three or four months we've had a string of burgularies that have stretched everywhere from Bella Vista to south of Siloam Springs, " says Paul.
Break-ins are happening in rural homes during the day, while homeowners are at work.
"The houses are left unlocked we've come to find out through the victims and they're going straight to the jewlery boxes and they're taking any items they think they can sell, " says Paul.
Jewelry is an easy thing to get rid of quickly. It's expensive, but doesn't have serial numbers or any sort of paper trail, making it really hard for police to track.
"By the time they sell them and they get melted down in three or four days the evidence is gone pretty much, " says Paul.
But a nation-wide system is helping detectives like Sgt. Paul.
"Leads Online helps us solve I'd say close to 60% of our burgularies, I mean any kind of property that's sold in a pawnshop is entered in leads online, " says Paul.
It's a partnership between police and store managers like Jeremy Bertschy, who works at NWA Gold and Silver.
"There's a program called Leads Online that we download to everyday all the gold buyers and pawn shops are supposed to do this, " says Bertschy.
But while these robberies go unsolved, Jeremy Bertschy has few tips for your valuables.
"Take lots of pictures of it, take pictures write down what the item is if you have an insurance appraisal on it keep that in a safe place away from it along with the pictures, " says Jeremy Bertschy.
"Rings, necklaces, earrings, anything they can get their hands on," says Sgt. Kenneth Paul, with the Benton County Sheriff's Office
Jewlery is disappearing from homes across Benton County
"The last three or four months we've had a string of burgularies that have stretched everywhere from Bella Vista to south of Siloam Springs, " says Paul.
Break-ins are happening in rural homes during the day, while homeowners are at work.
"The houses are left unlocked we've come to find out through the victims and they're going straight to the jewlery boxes and they're taking any items they think they can sell, " says Paul.
Jewelry is an easy thing to get rid of quickly. It's expensive, but doesn't have serial numbers or any sort of paper trail, making it really hard for police to track.
"By the time they sell them and they get melted down in three or four days the evidence is gone pretty much, " says Paul.
But a nation-wide system is helping detectives like Sgt. Paul.
"Leads Online helps us solve I'd say close to 60% of our burgularies, I mean any kind of property that's sold in a pawnshop is entered in leads online, " says Paul.
It's a partnership between police and store managers like Jeremy Bertschy, who works at NWA Gold and Silver.
"There's a program called Leads Online that we download to everyday all the gold buyers and pawn shops are supposed to do this, " says Bertschy.
But while these robberies go unsolved, Jeremy Bertschy has few tips for your valuables.
"Take lots of pictures of it, take pictures write down what the item is if you have an insurance appraisal on it keep that in a safe place away from it along with the pictures, " says Jeremy Bertschy.
