Merchandise identified by store owner in diamond theft

ELLIJAY, Ga. – After last week’s news developments following the North Georgia Diamond store burglary and subsequent arrests, a new update arose yesterday as the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office brought the stolen merchandise back to Gilmer.

On December 4, 2019, the East Ellijay location of North Georgia Diamond, on Highland Crossing, was broken into late that night. As of now, authorities still have not released a specific total value of the merchandise that was stolen, but Gilmer Sheriff Stacy Nicholson did offer preliminary estimates during the investigation that it could be between $150,000 and $200,000.

On December 5, 2019, just before 9 p.m., two suspects were arrested in south Georgia after fleeing from police during a traffic stop. These two were later tied to the diamond theft through the cooperation and efforts of the Turner County Sheriff’s Office and Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office. Since the arrest, authorities have continued their investigation and collection of evidence related to the crime.

Yesterday, December 10, 2019, the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Stacy Nicholson used the evidence collected from the vehicle the two suspects were driving when they fled police as a part of the investigation. This short video and photo were provided by the Gilmer Sheriff’s Office as Bill Craig, an owner of North Georgia Diamond, identified the merchandise in cooperation with the investigation.

As the investigation continues, the Sheriff’s Office has already filed burglary charges against the two male suspects. They will face trial here in Gilmer County for these charges after facing charges in Turner County for the traffic violations and fleeing from police.