CLIO, Mich. (WJRT) – New surveillance video has been released of the Monday night burglary of a Clio jewelry store.
The theft resulted in the loss of nearly $10,000 in gold charms according to the owner of Bits and Pieces Fine Jewelry on Vienna Road in downtown Clio. She says they were the only items not locked away inside the vault.
0:29+2
Clio police investigating a robbery at Bits & Pieces Fine Jewelry
“It was a shock and we are just frustrated,” said owner Cynthia Swick.
Surveillance video shows someone breaking through the door near 10 pm, before shattering the case and taking what was inside. Once the alarm inside starts going off, the suspect makes them escape within a minute of entering.
“There were about 108 charms,” said Swick. “They range from a hundred to a few hundred dollars so probably about $10,000 worth of stuff.”
Clio Police are now working to identify the thief. Because it happened so early in the night, Police Chief Wendell Millstead was the first to arrive on the scene.
“As a matter of fact, my second-in-command and were the two first responding officers because we were still here after a meeting,” said Chief Millstead. “So, we were right up the road, but, yeah, very unusual occurrence.”
It is so unusual, Chief Millstead says something like this has never happened in the two years he’s been chief. Swick estimates it’s been even longer.
“We’ve been here for 50 years,” said Swick. “This is our fiftieth year and we haven’t had a break-in since the 80s.”
Swick says they are still open for business following the break-in. Insurance will cover the cost of the lost charms and the new door, but in the meantime, they are considering how to keep things safe going forward.
“It’s an unfortunate thing and it’s not good but we’re going to stay positive and we’re going to you know repair our damages and we’re going to just keep moving forward,” said Swick.
If you have any additional information, you’re asked to contact Clio Police.
“One of the things that we have noticed in reviewing the security footage is that there were a lot of vehicles that actually drove by during that time,” said Chief Millstead. “Someone likely saw something and maybe at that time didn’t realize what they were seeing. So we’re asking if you saw anything unusual at all anywhere in proximity to that business, please give us a call.”