Jewelry worth $50,000 allegedly stolen from home safe near Cambridge

Deputies with the Guernsey County Sheriff's Office are investigating the alleged theft of approximately $50,000 worth of jewelry from a safe at a Taylor Road home near Cambridge.

The incident was one of five theft-related complaints filed by residents in Cambridge and outside the city on Monday.

Cambridge police investigated three alleged burglary or breaking and entering incidents with items being stolen from homes and a shoplifter at a department store in the city.

Local law enforcement said theft incidents, which have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, remain consistent during the holiday season, but reports of fraud and scams are on the rise.

"It is always important around the holiday season to be vigilant to thefts and scams, which we mostly see with elderly or disabled residents," said Sheriff Jeff Paden.

But not all are holiday related, as a man arrested for shoplifting merchandise at Walmart on Southgate Parkway on Monday reportedly told officers he was stealing items to settle a debt with his drug dealer.

The 38-year-old male is accused of trying to steal items totaling $82.08.

Owner says she believed she last saw jewelry in safe in August

As for the jewelry, the owner called the sheriff's office at 1:16 p.m. Monday to report it missing.

The owner told a sheriff's deputy she kept approximately $30,000 to $50,000 worth of jewelry in her husband's safe and discovered it was missing when she was looking for a ring.

The last time the owner saw the jewelry in the safe was believed to be August.

Multiple guns reportedly in the safe with the jewelry were not stolen.

The jewelry owner provided deputies with a list of people who have been in the house since the jewelry was last seen.

The victim did advise deputies a male who accompanied a relative to the home earlier this year was reported to be pawning items after the visit, but she didn't check at the time to see if anything was missing from the residence.

Items reported stolen included multiple pieces containing diamonds, necklaces with diamonds and a sapphire, a necklace with ivory and nearly a dozen gold bracelets.

Four hundred dollars in cash was also allegedly stolen from the safe.

The incident remains under investigation by sheriff's detectives and deputies.

The burglary and breaking and entering incidents investigated by Cambridge police occurred at homes on Blaine Avenue, Summit Avenue and Lakeside Drive.

At 10:47 a.m., a Lakeside Drive resident reported two $100 bills were stolen from an envelope on a table in his bedroom on separate occasions.

The man provided police with a possible suspect who could have access to a key to his apartment, as there was no evidence of a forced break-in, according to police reports.

The resident also told officers a neighbor told him items were stolen from his residence too. Officers noted the neighbor had not reported the alleged theft incident prior to the call on Monday.

The second report filed by a Summit Avenue resident at 5:25 p.m. alleged someone has entered the man's home on multiple occasions.

According to police, money, food and an antique 9-millimeter shotgun were reported stolen during the breaking and entering incidents while the resident was at work.

The third report at 8:10 p.m. came from a Blaine Avenue resident alleging people were inside her neighbor's residence while he was not home.

On arrival, officers located an unidentified man inside the home and detained him after a brief standoff inside the residence.

It was later learned that he, a second male and two females had been staying at the residence with permission given by the male resident, who later reported multiple items were missing from his home.

The resident is compiling a list of the missing items.

During the course of the investigation, an unidentified man wanted on a warrant issued in Noble County for an unrelated offense was taken into custody and transported to the county line where he was released into the custody of a deputy from that county.

Officers advised all three victims to install security cameras inside their homes to hopefully identify the alleged thief during any future incidents.

Anyone with information regarding theft incidents outside the city can call the sheriff's office, 740-439-4455. For incidents inside the city, call Cambridge police at 740-439-4431.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Authorities investigating alleged jewelry heist, other thefts locally