BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — A monthslong investigation into a Boulder County jewelry theft resulted in the arrest of a 31-year-old Silverthorne man, the sheriff's office said Friday.
Bryce Almus was arrested after detectives said he stole six pieces of jewelry worth more than $475,000 from a home in June. The victims' home was on the market at the time of the burglary, and Almus had toured the home as a prospective buyer, according to the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office said its lead detective worked with the victims' insurance company's investigator and the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) to get descriptions of the jewels and their approximate values.
In August, a sheriff's office detective was alerted that the GIA had received two diamonds, each weighing more than 4 carats. Serial numbers and descriptions matched the stones to some of the stolen jewelry, the sheriff's office said. The diamonds had been sent to GIA for evaluation by a wholesale diamond dealer in Cherry Creek.
Detectives said they learned Almus' identity after contacting the diamond dealer. Almus had pawned some of the stolen jewelry, the sheriff's office said.
Almus has been charged with:
- one count of theft - $100,000-$1 million
- two counts of pawnbroker prohibited acts - $100,000-$1 million
The sheriff's office said they have recovered some of the stolen jewelry, including a 4.31-carat diamond ring, a morganite necklace, a pair of morganite earrings, a pair of diamond/sapphire earrings and a 4.03-carat diamond that had been removed from its setting in a ring.
Boulder County detectives learned that Almus was staying in the area of Benton Harbor in southwestern Michigan. He was arrested by Michigan State Patrol on Nov. 27 and was extradited to Colorado on Tuesday.
Almus was released on a $200,000 personal recognizance bond on Wednesday.
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