“Reno woman arrested in wedding ring theft - msnbc.com” plus 1 more

Reno woman arrested in wedding ring theft - msnbc.com

Posted: 01 Dec 2010 05:12 PM PST

Authorities say a Reno woman caring for an 89-year-old hospice patient stole and pawned her wedding jewelry.

Michelle Smith is accused of taking a solitaire and band worth $33,000 off of the victim's hand and replacing the rings with costume jewelry while she was providing care to the woman, according to Sgt. Alan Salter with the Reno Police Department Financial Crimes Unit.

The woman died on September 1, and later that afternoon, Smith allegedly pawned the wedding set for $500.

Police found Smith on December 1, and took her into custody. She is charged with elder exploitation, grand larceny, burglary, obtaining money under false pretenses and possession of stolen property.

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Davison Township couple post reward for stolen wedding ring - MLive.com

Posted: 01 Dec 2010 08:58 AM PST

Published: Wednesday, December 01, 2010, 11:01 AM Updated: Wednesday, December 01, 2010, 1:06 PM

DAVISON TOWNSHIP, Michigan — Shannon Amman had visited a pawn shop just once in her life until now, when she has been to several and plans to visit more.

She is not shopping for bargains but is trying to find her wedding ring that was taken along with her jewelry box when thieves broke into her home on November 9 and helped themselves to electronic equipment and Amman's jewelry box.

"I just need it back," said Amman, 38. "If I can have anything back, it is that. The other things can be replaced but not that."

Her husband, Keith, slipped the half-carat gold ring valued at more than $2,000 at the time on her finger when they were married 16 years ago at St. Robert Catholic Church in Flushing.

In addition to visiting pawn shops as far away as Oxford and Lake Orion, Shannon Amman, a letter carrier for the Burton Post Office, and her son, Zachary, 10, have stenciled a 4-foot by 8-foot wooden sign in front of their suburban home in big red letters offering a reward "for information leading to the thieves who broke into our house."

The Ammans have offered a $1,000 reward leading the arrest of the intruders who kicked in a backdoor to gain entry into the Amman home in a brazen daytime burglary. Keith Amman discovered the break-in when he returned home from work at Blevin's Screw Products Inc. in Flint shortly before 3 p.m.

He called Davison Township police, who are still investigating the break-in that is one of several reported within a two-mile area of the Amman's Vassar Road home recently.

Shannon Amman has been a frequent visitor at the township police department, sometimes bringing tips that have been reported to the Ammans by passersby who have seen their reward sign.

"I've had neighbors pull in and tell me about other burglaries in the area and give me other information," Shannon Amman said.

In addition to the jewelry, thieves took a 37-inch flat screen television set the Ammans got last Christmas, an XBox 360 with about 80 games on it, a small digital camera and a Wii that Zachery, a fourth-grader at Gates Elementary School, got recently for his birthday.

Also missing was a pillow case from the Amman's bedroom, probably used to carry away the thieves' loot.

Because of the nature of her work, Shannon Amman said she wears only a $40 silver ring on her ring finger while keeping the rest of her jewelry at home.

"Somebody knows who did it," Amman said of the burglary. "If I can get my ring back it will give me a little peace of mind."

Wedding Jewelry

Wednesday, December 1, 2010