- Fri Jan 21, 2011 10:42 pm
#336961
A jeweler and his wife, who is the parking enforcement officer for Doylestown, were charged with theft.
A little more than two months ago, Mitchell Hartley called police to report that his Doylestown jewelry store had been burglarized.
Doylestown police investigated the burglary and wound up charging Hartley and his wife, Sandra, who is the parking enforcement officer for Doylestown, with theft. Police believe that Mitchell Hartley faked the October burglary of his store, Oakland Jewelry Studio.
Police Chief James Donnelly said the burglary report "just didn't make sense," and holes in Hartley's story and complaints from customers led to the charges.
Mitchell Hartley, 54, of Doylestown, bought Oakland Jewelry Studio from John A. Ward III. Ward was sentenced in 2008 to three years of probation for stealing jewelry and money from customers who had asked him to sell their jewelry on consignment.
Hartley initially told police only $15 in change and some receipts - but no jewelry - were stolen from the store on the morning of Oct. 31. Hartley called back just a few days later, on Nov. 5, to report that a gold watch case and a sapphire bracelet was also stolen during the burglary. Police said Hartley did not report those items missing in his first call. Donnelly said the second call "sent up a red flag."
The same day Hartley called police to report the watch case and bracelet, one of Hartley's customers went to the police station to ask for information about the burglary because the watch case was his.
.Hartley allegedly told police that he had stored the watchcase in a jewelry box with several other pieces of jewelry, which had not been taken, and that he found the box on the floor in front of a cabinet after the burglary. Hartley allegedly told police the bracelet had been wrapped in tissue paper and kept in his right desk drawer.
Police took photos of the jewelry store on Nov. 5 and compared them to the photos they took immediately after the burglary was reported on Oct. 31. What Hartley told police wasn't what the pictures showed, police said. Police said the jewelry box with the watch case was not in the store on Oct. 31, and the bracelet was not in the desk drawer. Police said Hartley could not explain why his recollection of the location of the watch case and bracelet did not match the photographs.
Police interviewed the customer who came into the police station on Nov. 5. The customer told police he had taken the watch to Hartley for repair in March, and Hartley told the customer in June that he had sent it to a museum in Lancaster for the repairs. The customer told police he contacted Hartley multiple times between June and November to try to get his watch back, but Hartley did not answer his calls and did not appear in the store on the day they agreed to meet.
The customer finally got the inner workings of his watch from Hartley on Nov. 5, and Hartley allegedly told the customer the case had been stolen in the burglary.
Police then remembered that a female customer had complained about Hartley in 2009, according to the criminal complaint filed against Hartley.
The female customer had received an antique pearl necklace as a gift from her husband. She had taken the necklace to a different jeweler, had six pearls removed and had two necklaces made for her daughters from the six pearls. Each necklace had three pearls on a gold chain.
One of the necklaces broke and the woman took it to Hartley for repair in July 2009. When the woman's daughter went to get the necklace on Sept. 1, 2009, Hartley allegedly told her he had already given it to her mother. The daughter told Hartley her mother did not have the necklace, and Hartley told her he had sent it to his shop in Philadelphia, police said. At that time, Sandra Hartley, 51, reportedly walked into the store in her parking enforcement uniform and told the customer's daughter that they would get the necklace and call her.
The female customer went to the store the next day, and Mitchell and Sandra Hartley told her the necklace was still at the Philadelphia shop, police said.
Mitchell Hartley took a necklace to the female customer at her office on Sept. 17. Police said the customer told them that the necklace was completely different from the one she had given Hartley; the chain was a different style and was not made of gold and the pearls were smaller than the original pearls.
Hartley allegedly went to the female customer's office the next day and gave her a different gold chain with fake pearls.
When police asked Hartley to explain why the necklace was different from the one the customer gave him, Hartley allegedly told them the customer's necklace "went missing" and he attempted to make a new necklace for her to replace it. Police said Hartley never filed a police report or told the customer the necklace was lost.
Hartley allegedly told police he did not know the pearls on the necklace he gave the customer were fake.
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.Mitchell Hartley faces charges of theft, receiving stolen property, tampering with evidence and making false reports to police.
Sandra Hartley faces charges of theft and receiving stolen property. She is on paid leave from the borough until an administrative investigation is complete.
Donnelly said Sandra Hartley was charged because, "she was in the store, in uniform, on duty for the borough, and told the customers she would resolve the incident. + There was no reason for her to be in the store while she was working. She involved herself in the theft."
Donnelly said one customer referred to Sandra Hartley as "the lady police officer" and she led her husband's customers to believe she was helping them in her role as a police officer.
A little more than two months ago, Mitchell Hartley called police to report that his Doylestown jewelry store had been burglarized.
Doylestown police investigated the burglary and wound up charging Hartley and his wife, Sandra, who is the parking enforcement officer for Doylestown, with theft. Police believe that Mitchell Hartley faked the October burglary of his store, Oakland Jewelry Studio.
Police Chief James Donnelly said the burglary report "just didn't make sense," and holes in Hartley's story and complaints from customers led to the charges.
Mitchell Hartley, 54, of Doylestown, bought Oakland Jewelry Studio from John A. Ward III. Ward was sentenced in 2008 to three years of probation for stealing jewelry and money from customers who had asked him to sell their jewelry on consignment.
Hartley initially told police only $15 in change and some receipts - but no jewelry - were stolen from the store on the morning of Oct. 31. Hartley called back just a few days later, on Nov. 5, to report that a gold watch case and a sapphire bracelet was also stolen during the burglary. Police said Hartley did not report those items missing in his first call. Donnelly said the second call "sent up a red flag."
The same day Hartley called police to report the watch case and bracelet, one of Hartley's customers went to the police station to ask for information about the burglary because the watch case was his.
.Hartley allegedly told police that he had stored the watchcase in a jewelry box with several other pieces of jewelry, which had not been taken, and that he found the box on the floor in front of a cabinet after the burglary. Hartley allegedly told police the bracelet had been wrapped in tissue paper and kept in his right desk drawer.
Police took photos of the jewelry store on Nov. 5 and compared them to the photos they took immediately after the burglary was reported on Oct. 31. What Hartley told police wasn't what the pictures showed, police said. Police said the jewelry box with the watch case was not in the store on Oct. 31, and the bracelet was not in the desk drawer. Police said Hartley could not explain why his recollection of the location of the watch case and bracelet did not match the photographs.
Police interviewed the customer who came into the police station on Nov. 5. The customer told police he had taken the watch to Hartley for repair in March, and Hartley told the customer in June that he had sent it to a museum in Lancaster for the repairs. The customer told police he contacted Hartley multiple times between June and November to try to get his watch back, but Hartley did not answer his calls and did not appear in the store on the day they agreed to meet.
The customer finally got the inner workings of his watch from Hartley on Nov. 5, and Hartley allegedly told the customer the case had been stolen in the burglary.
Police then remembered that a female customer had complained about Hartley in 2009, according to the criminal complaint filed against Hartley.
The female customer had received an antique pearl necklace as a gift from her husband. She had taken the necklace to a different jeweler, had six pearls removed and had two necklaces made for her daughters from the six pearls. Each necklace had three pearls on a gold chain.
One of the necklaces broke and the woman took it to Hartley for repair in July 2009. When the woman's daughter went to get the necklace on Sept. 1, 2009, Hartley allegedly told her he had already given it to her mother. The daughter told Hartley her mother did not have the necklace, and Hartley told her he had sent it to his shop in Philadelphia, police said. At that time, Sandra Hartley, 51, reportedly walked into the store in her parking enforcement uniform and told the customer's daughter that they would get the necklace and call her.
The female customer went to the store the next day, and Mitchell and Sandra Hartley told her the necklace was still at the Philadelphia shop, police said.
Mitchell Hartley took a necklace to the female customer at her office on Sept. 17. Police said the customer told them that the necklace was completely different from the one she had given Hartley; the chain was a different style and was not made of gold and the pearls were smaller than the original pearls.
Hartley allegedly went to the female customer's office the next day and gave her a different gold chain with fake pearls.
When police asked Hartley to explain why the necklace was different from the one the customer gave him, Hartley allegedly told them the customer's necklace "went missing" and he attempted to make a new necklace for her to replace it. Police said Hartley never filed a police report or told the customer the necklace was lost.
Hartley allegedly told police he did not know the pearls on the necklace he gave the customer were fake.
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.Mitchell Hartley faces charges of theft, receiving stolen property, tampering with evidence and making false reports to police.
Sandra Hartley faces charges of theft and receiving stolen property. She is on paid leave from the borough until an administrative investigation is complete.
Donnelly said Sandra Hartley was charged because, "she was in the store, in uniform, on duty for the borough, and told the customers she would resolve the incident. + There was no reason for her to be in the store while she was working. She involved herself in the theft."
Donnelly said one customer referred to Sandra Hartley as "the lady police officer" and she led her husband's customers to believe she was helping them in her role as a police officer.