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$100,000 in stolen jewelry recovered

By Richard Gould | Hickory Daily Record

Published: July 31, 2009

LENOIR - Investigators with the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office spent Friday processing recovered stolen property with an estimated value of more than $100,000.

The property was recovered from two houses in two days.

A dozen empty jewelry boxes sat stacked on a table. Ten empty purses were arranged on the floor between about 25 pocket knives and a collection of DVDs and video games. Prescription bottles filled with pills sat beside glass pipes, syringes and assorted drug paraphernalia piled at the end of a long table covered with assorted jewelry.

"That's just what was recovered, not what was sold or melted down," said Det. B.J. Fore of the sheriff's office. "There were firearms stolen, but none were recovered in the house."

The property had been stolen during a string of robberies dating back to March 2008, said Det. Andrea Longo.

The number and frequency of the break-ins spiked about six months ago and investigators have been aggressively pursing those responsible, she said.

They got a break in the case Thursday. The owner of Gold and Silver Recovery, a business specializing in buying and selling unwanted coins and jewelry, called the sheriff's office to report a woman was attempting to sell earrings and necklaces matching stolen items on a list circulated by the sheriff's office, Longo said.

Investigators responded and arrested Ashley Allison Stewart, 22, and charged her with felony possession of stolen property. Her bond was set at $5,000 secured.

"She refused to allow us to search her home, so we got a warrant," Longo said. Her home was searched and officers found more stolen property. Stewart confessed and told investigators where she'd gotten the loot and who she'd been selling it for," Longo said.

Investigators had their eye on Danny Carl Lackey, 29, and his wife, Tiffany Pennell Lackey, 27, for months in connection with the robberies, but the Lackeys had never given officers permission to search their home on Clarke's Chapel Road in Lenoir.

"We never had enough evidence for a search warrant until today," Longo said.

Investigators served the warrant and found a house stuffed with stolen property along with crack and powder cocaine, marijuana and pills, Longo said.

The Lackeys were arrested and charged with felony possession of stolen property and locked up in the Caldwell County jail. Each was given a $5,000 secured bond.

Longo said additional charges are pending.

"This is related to drugs. They were selling jewelry for drugs," she said. "We worked with narcotics on this."

"The diligence and hard work of the Investigation Division, the cooperation of the community and the business owners made it possible to take three criminal predators off the streets and make our community a safer place," said Caldwell County Sheriff Alan Jones.

The stolen property is believed to have come from Caldwell and Burke counties.

Longo said the Lackeys would watch their victims, learn their patterns and, when they left the house, the Lackeys would pull into the driveway, go to the back of the house and kick the door open or use a pry tool to open it.

"They always went in the back door," Longo said.

The Lackeys seldom sold the stolen items, preferring to enlist the help of others. The investigation is ongoing and investigators are focused on tracking down those believed to have worked in cooperation with the Lackeys.

Victims of breaking and entering cases are asked to call the investigation division at (828) 759-1554 starting Monday to make appointments to identify their property.