BANGOR, Maine — A man who claimed he found a Rolex watch and tried to hock it at a local pawnshop Friday morning was identified Monday, and the watch has been returned to its owner, Bangor police Sgt. Paul Edwards said.
The Rolex is valued at about $8,000.
An Orrington woman reported that she left her Rolex watch in her car, which was being serviced at a local car dealership, and it was missing when she picked up the vehicle, the sergeant said Monday morning.
“It appears that the watch was taken while the car was parked outside after it had been serviced,” Edwards said.
“While Officer [Joe] Baillargeon was taking the report, the on duty sergeant overheard this and told the officer that a local pawnshop owner had called that morning to report a man had tried to pawn a Rolex watch that he claimed to have found,” Edwards said in a press release.
Police got an image of the man from the pawnshop’s surveillance camera, which includes a time of 10:52 a.m. Friday, and released it publicly on Monday. It shows a man wearing baggy clothing, including a jacket with a Mountain Dew logo and “AMP” printed across the zippered front, and a dark hat with a white ring. Edwards said the suspect is not an employee of the car dealership.
Following the release of the surveillance photo, “several tips were received this morning, and based on that, officers located the man at a local jewelry store after receiving a phone call from that store,” Edwards said early Monday afternoon.
“After several interviews were conducted, it was determined that the watch was actually misplaced at another business and that an employee of that business found it and gave it to her husband to sell. At this time, charges are pending and the watch is back with its owner.”
Excellent surveillance. He will definitely get caught.
Geez – not trying to “blame the victim” here, but I don’t even leave any of my kids’ DVDs in the ‘ol minivan when I get it serviced. Remove your valuables, people!
Yeah, an 8k watch – that’s a pretty ripe temptation.
Part of me wonders if it was broken/knock-off and this isn’t a botched attempt at some insurance money.
“Oh let me just take my $8000 watch off and leave it here in the passenger seat before I give my car over to total strangers”
$8000? Hot? If you have this watch, call me at 555.123.5678.
Probably driving a Ford Pinto with matching rust and interior, but left her Rolex in the car, yeah right. I can honestly understand some skeezer spotting a shiny doodad and taking it, but the whole set-up behind it seems pretty far-fetched. Hell, never owned a car that was worth that much, never mind a watch…
Did the dealer leave the car unlocked? The owner shouldn’t have left it in the car, but still if the car was left unlocked after repairs that’s wrong.
Regardless, there MUST be an inside avenue here. Either someone at the dealership told the thief it was there…or the owner told someone in the dealership (who told an outsider).
That ONE car on the lot gets hit, that ONE car happens to have an expensive watch in it…and thats the ONLY car that has something missing from it? I think not.
If you can afford an $8,000 watch and not take care of it I do not feel sorry for you.