Victim, sheriff’s office disagree on thefts
Staff writer
An offense report released by the sheriff’s office reported theft from former Peabody resident Amy Stutzman’s burned-down rural residence near 110th and Pawnee Rds., but the offense report and messages sent to the Marion County Record disagree on the matter.
The sheriff’s office reported that no sign of forced entry was found and items worth $24,870 were stolen.
Stutzman, 51, now living in Arkansas City, contends otherwise.
The sheriff’s office said stolen items included 67 pieces of farm equipment, five signs, five cameras, 13 pieces of jewelry, 3 iPads, a camcorder, $25 in foreign currency, a lunchbox, 22 plants, a stove, and various papers, electronics, and miscellaneous items.
In messages sent to the Record, Stutzman claims she went to the property Dec. 31 after making multiple attempts for permission from the state fire marshal’s office and her insurance company after her home burned in March.
“I was notified by my attorney that my vault had been cut open and items removed,” Stutzman wrote.
She provided a list of 13 missing or damaged items found outside the burned home. She valued them at $3,060.
She also listed 11 items missing from the vault that she said had been cut open. The items included a small fireproof lockbox and 10 jewelry items totaling $5,381.
“The following I have been led to believe ended up in the possession of (property owner) Don Stutzman and possibly were given to my attorney, Brian Coon,” Stutzman wrote, listing two pieces of jewelry she valued at $9,000 and $25 worth of Australian coins.
Stutzman said she found two computer tablet “skeletons” in the vault, but that “there should have been some form of skeletal remains” of seven electronic items she valued at $2,470.
She also said a wood burning stove worth $4,000 had been stolen from the structure, bringing the total value of her loss to $27,021.
Stutzman wrote that she had difficulty getting access to her former home because the fire marshal’s office said a criminal investigation was ongoing.