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Parker cops take man's claim of jewelry heist at face value

By Bill Scanlon, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published February 18, 2009 at 12:05 a.m.

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Parker police officers for now are taking at face value a jewelry salesman's contention that he was robbed at gunpoint of $300,000 worth of dog jewelry outside a Starbucks on Monday.

"We can't just say that it seems kind of farfetched," Parker police Capt. Jim Tsurapas said Tuesday. "We're treating it as an armed robbery. We are going to pursue it to see if we can prove it or disprove it."

The salesman told police he was in the Denver area for the Rocky Mountain Cluster Dog Show last weekend at the National Western Stock Show complex.

The 64-year-old man, from Kansas City, Kan., said he stopped for coffee at a Starbucks at 9700 S. Parker Road and had just returned to his car when three men in masks suddenly appeared.

One of the men was carrying a gun, he told police.

The salesman said the trio took three "tubs" of his jewelry and a handgun that he had in his briefcase.

Among the merchandise were bejeweled dog collars and other items.

Tsurapas said jewelry salesmen try to stay as inconspicuous as possible, so carrying the jewelry in tubs could throw off potential robbers, who might be looking for, say, a locked suitcase.

The salesman was the only witness to the robbery, said Parker police.

"We'll try to hook him up with a sketch artist . . . to see if he can remember what they look like - what type of ski masks they had," Tsurapas said. "Their faces were covered - it was pretty quick. We might not get too much of a description."

Police are also looking at surveillance videos in the immediate vicinity of the robbery.

Comments

  • February 18, 2009

    9:04 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Falcon4100 writes:

    why was he in parker? not very close to I-70 or I-25. no witnesses? sounds more than fishy!

  • February 18, 2009

    5:05 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    jdtex14 writes:

    Just to make sure that people are clear...the items stolen were custom dog breed jewerly for humans not collars for dogs.