Investigators in multiple counties on lookout for jewelry thieves

SHELBY COUNTY, Ind, (WISH) - Detectives are investigating a rash of home burglaries spanning multiple counties, and they say these thieves aren’t going for electronics.

The most recent burglaries happened in Rush, Hancock, Johnson, and Shelby counties, but investigators say the burglars could strike anywhere.

Douglas Green is one of the victims. His Shelby County home was burglarized last Tuesday.

He says the burglars got in by throwing a rock through glass on a back door.

“They just barged in, just ransacked the house, took all the jewelry,” he explained.

He said the thieves got away with at least $5,000 worth of jewelry and prescription medication, anything they could fit in the pillow case they took off one of his pillows in his bedroom.

Among the losses, part of his wife’s jewelry collection and their son’s state baseball championship ring.

Shelby County Sheriff Mike Bowlby says Shelby County has had 12 burglaries in the past 11 days.

That number includes outside buildings.

He says the county has had nine home burglaries in the past two weeks. From one home, thieves stole $20,000 worth of jewelry.

They hit  “two or three homes within a couple miles of each other, then they’ll move to another area,” said Shelby County Sheriff Mike Bowlby.

“There’s a lot of effort going into trying to stop these things.”

Hancock County investigators tell 24-Hour News 8 they’ve had half a dozen burglaries in just the past week, mainly for jewelry, as well.

County investigators are now working together to try to establish a pattern. They believe different groups may be behind some of the burglaries.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Bowlby is asking residents to keep an eye out for suspicious activity during the day, and says, “Give us a call. We would rather send a deputy out to check those things out, do that 10-15 times a day, and it be nothing than to have a burglary happen to someone's home.”

Bowlby also recommends homeowners secure valuables in a safe if they can, while they’re gone. Keep valuables out of eyesight from windows as well.

He says an alarm system can never hurt. That’s the way Douglas Green went, after his home was burglarized.

“I feel a lot better with the alarm system,” Green said.