COLLEGE PLACE, Wash.-A former Walla Walla man suspected of stealing $25,000 to $50,000 in stones and gems was arrested on April 17.
The theft reportedly happened on April 3 in College Place while the owner was out of town.
According to College Place Police, Detectives were able to follow tire tracks and determine which way the suspect left the victim’s property.
Detectives also gathered security camera footage from neighbor’s homes and identified a white Toyota truck leaving the victim’s home around the time of the burglary.
A few days after the robbery, the victim found some of their stolen stones and gems on facebook marketplace and notified police.
Investigators confirmed the stones and gems were the ones stolen based on one-of-a-kind markings on them and arranged to meet the seller in Walla Walla on April 15.
The seller showed up in the same Toyota truck seen in surveillance footage after the robbery and was taken into custody.
The suspect, a 47-year-old former Walla Walla man, was booked on suspicion of residential burglary and possession of stolen property, according to the CPPD.
The suspect has reportedly been released on his own recognizance and the stolen stones and gems were returned to the owner.
