A northwest Marion County man’s side hustle at local pawn shops landed him in jail after deputies tied the goods back to a July burglary.
Deputies say Alton Lewis Starker, 51, stole thousands in jewelry — including gold chains, pendants, and even one inscribed “no day$ off” — along with a PlayStation 5 and accessories from a home on NW 65th Place. The missing items were quickly traced through a paper trail of pawn tickets.
Investigators pulled records from Mark’s Jewelry and Pawn and Classic Pawn and Gun, where Starker allegedly exchanged the stolen items for quick cash. Employees confirmed he presented his Florida driver’s license at each transaction, and surveillance video showed him making the deals.
The victim, who returned home July 21 to find doors ajar and her jewelry box emptied onto the floor, identified the recovered pieces as hers.
In total, deputies say Starker pawned at least six batches of jewelry between July 9 and July 26, racking up charges that include grand theft, six counts of dealing in stolen property, and multiple pawn law violations.
When confronted, Starker reportedly grew defensive, but investigators said the tickets, video, and matching signatures told the rest of the story.
He was booked at the Marion County Jail on no bond.
