Three gunmen invaded the home of a Kennewick, Wash., jeweler on Feb. 9 and subsequently stole an undetermined amount of merchandise from his store.
Just after the Touchstone Jewelry closed, three masked and armed suspects forced entry to co-owner Mark Welsh’s home. Two took Welsh back to the store, where they removed the jewelry. A third suspect stayed at the house with Welsh’s family. After the theft, Welsh was returned to his residence and the robbers sped off in his pickup truck, which was later discovered abandoned nearby. Kennewick Police Capt. Trevor White—who tells JCK that “the suspects were described as polite”—says no one was injured. So far none of the gunmen have been identified.
According to Jewelers’ Security Alliance president John Kennedy, incidents like this occur four to six times a year. “It’s relatively uncommon,” he says, “but it’s not rare.”