Camera Captures Thief Trying To Appraise Stolen Watches In Bethany

A man pulls off a high dollar heist in Bethany stealing about $40,000 worth of Rolex watches. But, as he tries to cash in on his loot, he ends up being caught on tape.

The burglary happened on the morning of Oct. 20 at the Holiday Inn Express in Bethany. Police say the victim had a number of valuables in his car, but a black box with four Rolex watches, and one Tag Heuer watch was the only thing taken.

Ten days after the watches were stolen, security cameras at Watches Etcetera in Bethany catch the man's every move. He drives into the parking lot, gets out of his red GMC Sierra pickup, and walks in the front door. You can also clearly see him wearing a watch on his left wrist.

"Our department had contacted this dealer and let them know. We gave them a list of the watches that were stolen, and he recognized it as being one of those," said Detective Mark Girten.

The suspect pulls a Tag Heuer watch out his pocket and asks the store owner how much it was worth. Then he wanted to know if the Rolex he was wearing was real. He takes it off and hands it to the store owner.

"As soon as the store owner tells [him] they're stolen, he starts breathing heavy. I'm sure if the camera zoomed in any better, you can see him sweating," said Girten.

The suspect tries to get the watch back, and at one point tells the store owner the watches belonged to his father who recently died. The store owner didn't buy it, and tells the man he's going to call the police. The man walks out, gets in his truck, and drives off.

Police believe the victim was being watched during his stay at the Bethany Holiday Inn. Every night, the victim would take the black box inside, mainly because its contents were valued at about $40,000.

On the night of the 20, he left that box in his car.

More than $23,000 worth of watches are still missing. If you recognize the man in the surveillance video, call Bethany police at (405) 789-5012.