$60,000 Pearls and Gems Stolen In Benton County
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BENTON COUNTY, Tenn. — Three bags of gems and pearls, worth thousands of dollars, were recovered in Benton County. Sheriff Tony King says the jewels were stolen from the Latendresse property on Highway 70 East. “These bags weigh [200], 250 pounds and the value since then we’ve come to determine is around $60,000,” King said. Friday, investigators began their search for the alleged thief after the precious stones were discovered last week. According to deputies, the former owner of the property and founder of the Tennessee Shell Company, Johnny Latendresse, died a few years ago. “We’ve had a few thefts in that area so we’re kind of looking at some persons of interest at this time,” King said. “But we’d still like to have a little help from the public.” Officials say they cannot determine when the theft happened since no one was home during the theft, but they believe the incident occurred some time in February. Lavon Horton, who works in Benton County, says crimes like these are not uncommon. “Theft is a bad problem throughout the county and stuff like that.” Horton said. “But just hearing something where a town that you work at is hard to believe.” Officials say the people involved could face hard jail time, but Horton says something needs to be done fast. “The area that I work in it’s pretty patrolled by the police pretty much in that area,” Horton added. “But just far as hearing that it’s not even safe to be out.” Officials urge anyone with information to contact the Benton County Sheriff’s Office. King says information will remain anonymous.
