Jewel thief targeted older women in string of North Carolina break-ins, officials say

By Janice Limon

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    BUNCOMBE COUNTY, North Carolina (WYFF) — Deputies said a North Carolina jewel thief targeted older women in a string of break-ins.

Aaron Sarver, with the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, said Monday that Randall Paul Penland Jr., 47, pleaded guilty to two counts of larceny after breaking or entering, as well as attempted larceny.

Penland was arrested in October and was charged as a ‘Habitual Felon’ with a string of break-ins in the Fairview and Arden areas of Buncombe County, Sarver said.

Deputies said at the time that Penland targeted the homes of older women in the community, and when they weren’t home, he would break in and steal jewelry and other personal items of value.

Penland was sentenced to serve between 40 and 57 months in prison, according to the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office.

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