MARY ESTHER — The work of a local resident and the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office led to an arrest and recovery of most of the $18,000 in jewelry stolen from the Diamond Works store on Page Bacon Road on Dec. 20.
See more photos of the recovered jewelry. >>
Video surveillance at the store captured a masked man smashing out the front window, crawling through the opening and then smashing the glass display cases with a metal pry bar, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
He filled two purple bags as well as another bag with watches, wedding ring sets and other jewelry.
After learning of the burglary, a local man reported Dec. 23 that 56-year-old Sampie Hall of Fort Walton Beach sold him some jewelry. The man noticed the jewelry was new and many pieces had “sample” tags attached, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
He also noticed the items were stored in purple bags.
The owner of Diamond Works positively identified several pieces the man bought from Hall.
Deputies tracked Hall to a home on Cypress Street on Wednesday and arrested him. He admitted to breaking into Diamond Works, throwing out some of his burglary tools and clothes and hiding the jewelry above his home’s ceiling.
Hall was charged with burglary, grand theft, possession of burglary tools, tampering/destruction of evidence and dealing in stolen property.