Two West Plains men have been charged with stealing more than $25,000, after a March break-in at JCPenney and the alleged theft of almost $115,000 worth of jewelry.
The West Plains Daily Quill reports a warrant has been issued for 33-year-old Shane L. Collins, also charged with second-degree burglary. A second man, 55-year-old Joseph L. Newton has been taken into custody and is being held with $50,000 bail, according to court documents.
Detective Bryan Brauer with the West Plains Police Department, in a report submitted to prosecutors, says officers responded to JCPenney on March 24 to find a large rock had been thrown through a window on the south side of the business. After the store was entered by officers, it was discovered the jewelry display had been damaged, and numerous pieces of jewelry had been stolen.
When store video surveillance was reviewed, it reportedly shows a man walking to the business at 1:52 that morning, breaking the glass and entering at 1:53, and leaving at 1:54, running eastbound.
A jewelry audit conducted by the store’s asset protection showed 88 pieces of jewelry were stolen, valued at almost $115,000.
The same morning the burglary was discovered, an employee of Rickie David Jewelers told police Collins had been there attempting to sell two rings with price tags attached with a value of $5,000 each. The business owner reportedly stated Collins told him he could hook him up with a lot more jewelry, if he didn’t report the transactions.
The owner said he took photos of the rings and told Collins he believed they were stolen, before telling him he wasn’t interested in buying them.
The day after the burglary, Newton allegedly contacted detective Brauer about the incident, telling him he saw Collins with a large amount of jewelry, including a ring with a $12,000 price tag. He reportedly said Collins had talked about throwing a rock through a window.
According to police, Collins admitted to trying to sell two rings to Rickie David Jewelers, but said they were fake and he threw them away.
On March 31, Brauer reported he received a Leadsonline hit showing Newton sold a yellow gold and diamonds ladies ring set to Smart Pawn and Jewelry in Austin, Texas. JCPenney asset protection confirmed it was one of the rings stolen in the burglary.
On April 20, Brauer received another Leadsonline hit, showing on April 13, Newton pawned a second yellow gold and diamond lady’s ring, this time to Top Cash Pawn in Austin.
Newton was convicted in 2015 of two counts of possession of a controlled substance, handed a five-year suspended execution of sentence and five years supervised probation. In 2018, court records show, he entered an Alford plea on a 2016 charge of distribution of a controlled substance and handed an eight-year suspended execution of sentence with five years supervised probation.
An Alford plea is one in which the defendant does not admit guilt, but admits there is likely enough evidence for a jury to come to a conclusion of guilt.
He was already awaiting trial on 2020 charges of second-degree assault, armed criminal action and possession of a controlled substance, according to court records.
In 2012, Collins was convicted of four counts of second-degree burglary and sentenced to seven years in prison and is awaiting trial on a 2018 charge of possession of a controlled substance and a 2019 charge of forgery, according to court records.
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