Nighttime smash-and-grab at David Allen Designs on Main Street

The fine jewelry store on Main Street lost $26,000 in merchandise from a front window

David Allen next to the broken front window that robbers smashed on Friday night. (Photo by Laura Hagar Rush)

Robbers smashed a small front display window of David Allen Jewelers on Main Street on Friday night and made off with $26,000 in emerald and diamond jewelry.

Allen, who makes custom-designed fine jewelry, said he noticed the broken window when he came in on Saturday morning.

“They got four rings and a necklace,” he said. “All emeralds with diamonds,” including the most expensive piece in the store, a $15,000 ring.

Allen, who normally takes all the jewelry out of the front window before he closes up for the evening, got distracted while helping a customer at the end of the day and accidentally left one tray of jewelry still in the window.

“It must have caught someone’s eye as they walked by,” he said. “They probably left and got something to break the window and then came back.”

The store has an alarm that is supposed to go off if the glass gets broken, but Allen said it malfunctioned and didn’t go off.

Had the thieves attempted to breach the store itself, Allen said they would have tripped the motion sensor alarms he has inside the store.

He said the police had been encouraging him to get surveillance cameras for years.

“There aren’t many surveillance cameras on Main Street,” he said, “because it’s pretty peaceful here.”

But now, he said, he’s having some installed.

Police Chief Ron Nelson said the police were able to find surveillance video from that evening, but they were unable to identify the suspect. The case remains open.

Alan says this is the first loss of this sort he’s experienced in the 15 years that he’s been at this location.