Santa Maria Jewelers Offering $500 Reward To Catch Gold Necklace Thief

A local jewelry store is asking for the public’s help in finding a man who they say stole a necklace from the store.

Surveillance video showed a man taking off last Friday with a gold necklace valued at several thousand dollars.

The theft was reported at Don Jose Jewelers inside the La Fiesta Super Mall on North Broadway.

Rebecca Cardenas, who was showing the man the 14-karat gold chain, said that she was shocked by the thief’s actions because “he seemed like a nice guy.”

“He gave me a story about it being his birthday and his mom [buying] him a chain,” Cardenas said.

The thief said the necklace given to him “was too small, so his mom sent him here to find something that he liked,” Cardenas said.

Video shows Jose Cardenas, the store’s owner, chasing the alleged thief seconds after his wife, Rebecca Cardenas, alerted him.

Cardenas said it is not the first time he’s been robbed. He said he was robbed about a year ago, but with the help of surveillance video was able to catch the thief three days later.

“I don’t want people thinking that I am an easy target,” Jose Cardenas said.

He hopes cameras posted in just about every part of his store will help police catch the latest thief quickly.

Cardenas and his wife are offering a $500 reward to anyone who can identify the man seen taking off with the gold necklace.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Santa Maria Police Department at 805-928-3781 or Don Jose Jewelers at 805-928-8200.