Man gets 40 years in theft of jewelry

TEXARKANA -- A man described as a professional thief was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the theft of jewelry from an Ashdown residence.

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Barry Paul Andruszczak, 37, has no permanent address but has a criminal history involving jewelry theft, prosecutor Bryan Chesshir said.

"He didn't steal guns or televisions. He stole jewelry. He was a professional," Chesshir said Wednesday.

A Little River County jury also fined Andruszczak $30,000 and required that he pay $40,000 in restitution for the May 9, 2014, theft at the Ashdown residence of Elston and Donna Green.

About 11 days after the Ashdown theft, Andruszczak was caught stealing jewelry in a house in Lake Providence, La., Chesshir said. When he was arrested, Andruszczak had a class ring that had been reported stolen by Donna Green, authorities said.

Former Ashdown Police Chief Doyle Crouch and Ashdown detective Boyd Kennemore went to Lake Providence to check on the evidence recovered in the arrest. Among the evidence, Kennemore noticed a yellow pry bar that appeared to match paint found at the scene of the Ashdown burglary.

The state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock determined that the pry bar matched paint left on the wooden door frames of the Ashdown home and the Lake Providence home, lab representatives testified.

Metro on 05/01/2016

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