Thousands in jewelry stolen while family attended funeral

Thousands of dollars worth of jewelry was stolen from a Catoosa County home while the residents were at a funeral, police say.

According to the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office, the theft occurred during burglary of a home in the 3600 block of Salem Valley Road during the middle of the day on Jan. 27.

Deputies responded to the call around 3:21 p.m. after the victims returned home to find that the residence had been broken into, reports show.

The victims told police the family left the home around 10:35 a.m. that morning to attend funeral proceedings, and returned shortly after 3 p.m. to find a door from the garage kicked in and several items missing.

Upon arrival, deputies observed tire tracks, ruts, and scattered pieces of jewelry in the mud outside the home.

The break-in appeared to be a situation where the culprit(s) made entry into the garage, and then kicked in the door that connects to the inside of the home – the door’s deadbolt was still locked, but the door frame was heavily damaged and a shoe print was on the door, reports show.

The homeowner concluded a jewelry box was stolen during the incident, which contained several articles of his wife’s belongings.

A ruby ring with diamonds, emerald-cut ring with diamonds, a class ring, an antique pocket watch, and several other miscellaneous pieces of jewelry were taken during the incident, reports show.

The victim estimated the value of the stolen property to be in the $9,700 range.