A Belleview woman who reported several pieces of jewelry missing from her home has now seen the case end with the arrest of a man who had been performing work at her residence.
According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, a 71 year old Belleview resident contacted deputies after discovering that several valuable pieces of jewelry had disappeared from a jewelry box in her bedroom. The items included two diamond rings and a diamond tennis bracelet that she estimated were worth about $5,000.
Investigators learned that William Eugene Cannon Jr., 34, had been at the woman’s home at a Belleview address on May 30 while performing maintenance work that included replacing a bedroom door. A few days later, the woman discovered the jewelry was missing.
The investigation took a turn when detectives found records showing Cannon had sold several pieces of jewelry to a pawn shop the day after he was at the residence. The items included a solitaire diamond ring, a tennis bracelet, a gold necklace and a 1971 high school class ring. The pawn shop paid Cannon $3,040 for the jewelry, according to the report.
Detectives said the victim later identified the recovered jewelry as hers. Investigators also obtained text messages in which the woman told Cannon she had been searching for the missing items. According to the report, Cannon replied, “What in the world! It’s one thing after another for you lately and I’m so sorry.”
When confronted by detectives, Cannon initially said he had sold family jewelry. Investigators said he later changed his explanation and claimed the items may have come from an apartment the victim had allowed him to clean out. The victim disputed that account and told detectives the jewelry had been left in her bedroom the night before Cannon performed work at the home.
The Sheriff’s Office ultimately concluded that Cannon stole jewelry valued at $11,605 from the Belleview residence and sold it to a pawn shop. He was arrested June 17 and charged with grand theft from a person 65 years of age or older, dealing in stolen property and providing false owner information to a pawnbroker.
