Hickory merchant spots own stolen jewelry at his shop

Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008

By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer

A Hickory store owner whose house was burglarized last week spotted his own property among some items a patron was trying to sell on Wednesday.

Ed Kanupp of Newton was in his shop, Goldsmith's jewelry repair in Hickory, on Wednesday, when a woman came in and tried to sell some gold and a few pieces of jewelry, Catawba County Sheriff's Office Maj. Coy Reid said.

Kanupp immediately recognized them as some of the items stolen from his house on Jan. 25 and set off a silent alarm, calling Hickory police to the door.

Police detained the woman, and a man waiting for her in a car outside, Reid said, and notified the sheriff's office, which was investigating the break-in at Kanupp's home.

The sheriff's office charged Christopher Garrett, 21, and Christina Belle Webb, 33, both of Hickory, with breaking and entering, larceny and possession of stolen property.

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