He took jewelry, guns, cars worth around $400,000, police say; now he’s in jail

Police say he stole nearly $400,000 worth of jewelry, guns and cars from an east Wichita home.

It took a few days to track him down, but now the 36-year-old is facing criminal charges.

Most of the stolen goods taken from a house in the 9000 block of East Crestwood Court on April 15-16 were returned to their owners after the man’s arrest, Wichita police Sgt. Nikki Woodrow said Tuesday.

A police report lists the total value of the items taken at $396,669. The bulk of that – $354,949 – was antique jewelry, the document says. Two 12-gauge shotguns, a pellet gun, a Remington Civil War revolver and some checkbooks were also stolen.

The man is suspected of breaking into the home, near 13th and Greenwich, stealing a large amount of jewelry and weapons and then disappearing, Woodrow said. He also is suspected of stealing two vehicles, police said.

Officers developed leads on a possible suspect on April 20 and later took the man into custody.

The man has been booked into Sedgwick County Jail on suspicion of burglary, theft, possession of stolen property, methamphetamine possession and a parole violation. Investigators were planning to present their findings in the case to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday for possible criminal charges, Woodrow said.

About the stolen property, Woodrow said: “It is almost a full recovery, so the victims are definitely grateful for that.”

This story was originally published April 25, 2017 at 11:32 AM with the headline "He took jewelry, guns, cars worth around $400,000, police say; now he’s in jail."