Stolen ring, owner reunited
Published: March 7, 2007
A Los Angeles Sheriff’s Academy class ring that was stolen along with thousands of dollars worth of lamps, curtain rods and jewelry during what police allege was a one-woman burglary spree has been reunited with its owner.
Ernest “Barry” Sharp, 69, of Canyon Lake, claimed the gold ring engraved with his initials, EBS, along with a jewelry box and several watches that were stolen from his Riverside County home, Newport Beach police Sgt. Evan Sailor said.
Sharp called police to report that someone had tried to break into his home in early February but did not notice the missing ring and other items.
Police say the ring is just the beginning of a cross-county burglary wave by Michelle Lorraine Hughes, 29, of Canyon Lake. Hughes is charged with breaking into 17 homes in Newport Beach, wriggling through unlocked windows to steal more than $90,000 in household goods, jewelry and cash.
She is also suspected in burglaries in Temecula, Murrieta and Canyon Lake.
Hughes, who is being held at the Orange County jail in lieu of $1 million bail, is expected to be arraigned today.
Hughes had the ring Feb. 7 when police picked her up on a warrant on suspicion of breaking into a Seashore Drive home last year, Sailor said. The ring was recovered. She posted bail and was released from the Orange County Jail.
Hughes was arrested again Feb. 20 in Corona del Mar after a neighbor saw a woman breaking into a home in the 300 block of Larkspur Avenue and called police.
Officers waited outside the house until Hughes came out carrying a blanket full of stolen goods, Sailor said.
Hughes put real estate magnetic strips on her grey 2007 Chevrolet Equinox to make it look like she belonged in the neighborhood.
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