CLEARFIELD – A DuBois man accused of stealing more than $6,000 in jewelry from his neighbor pleaded guilty Tuesday during plea and sentencing court.
Donald Robert Myers, 38, 59 Atlantic Ave., DuBois, pleaded guilty to a felony count of theft by unlawful taking and was sentenced by Judge Paul E. Cherry to two years probation.
It was part of his plea agreement that he pay restitution in full prior to sentencing or serve 90 days in jail. It was stated he had already paid the requested $1,300 in restitution. He was fined $250 plus costs and was ordered to have no contact with the victim.
Myers was charged after an incident in July of 2015.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, Myers went into the Sandy Township police station and met with an officer. Myers stated that he thought had “messed up.”
He explained that a week ago, he had found some jewelry on his front porch. He said that he buys property from storage sheds and he believed one of his children must have found the jewelry in something he had purchased and was playing with it on the porch.
He took this jewelry to Ben Rossi Jewelers and got $300 for it.
During the interview, he started to cry and told the officer that he got a call from his neighbor who said jewelry was missing from her house. He was very emotional as he again told the officer that he messed up.
While the officer was meeting with Myers he got a dispatch call to make contact with the victim. He excused himself from Myers and called the victim. She told the officer that she had numerous pieces of jewelry stolen and she suspected Myers had taken it.
The victim explained that she and her family were out of town on a family vacation in July and she had made arrangements with Myers to check on the house and let her dogs out.
When she returned, she noticed the jewelry was missing. She text-messaged Myers and told him she was missing jewelry. Myers then told her that it has to be there and he would help her look for it.
She became suspicious of Myers after she asked him a few times more about the jewelry. Myers either ignored her or was playing it off. On July 29, she text-messaged him again and asked for her jewelry back.
After a little while, Myers’ wife, Tracy, text-messaged the victim asking her to call. When she did, Tracy Myers explained that Myers told her he found the jewelry under her bushes when he was cutting her grass.
He had taken the jewelry to Ben Rossi and had cashed it in for $300.
The victim gave the officer a description of the stolen items. There were four diamond and gold rings and two sets of diamond and gold earrings. The total value of the items she listed as $6,376.
After speaking with the victim, the officer went back to the interview room to speak to Myers. The officer advised him he had spoken with the victim and asked about Myers finding the items in the yard.
He denied this and continued stating he found them on the porch. The officer said he wanted to talk to Myers’ wife and Myers gave him her cell phone number.
The officer spoke to Tracy Myers, who confirmed her story that he told her he found the jewelry under a bush at the side of her home. She told the officer it was a mistake and they would get them back.
The officer returned to the interview room and advised Myers he did not believe his story. Myers was then advised of his rights. Myers agreed to continue speaking with the officer.
When the officer pointed out that his story was not consistent with his wife’s story, Myers began to cry and kept saying he was sorry. He said he was trying to get the jewelry back.
He eventually stated that he was in the victim’s home taking care of the dogs when he saw the rings and earrings on a table. He admitted he took three rings and a set of earrings and sold them.
The officer met with John Rossi of Ben Rossi Jewelers, who confirmed Myers cashed in five pieces of jewelry for $300. Rossi turned over one set of earrings that the store still had in his possession. He stated he had already sent out the other pieces, but he would try to get them back.
Rossi did eventually get back these pieces as well and turned them over to police. The victim identified the items as the ones that were missing from her home. Only one item was not recovered, a diamond wedding band with a value of $600.
