Headlines

Jeweler Arrested After Shots Fired Following Theft

He was reportedly booked into jail on a preliminary charge of criminal recklessness.

Published

2 years ago

April 6, 2022

INSTORE Staff

A jewelry store owner in Terre Haute, IN, has been taken into custody after shots were fired in connection with a theft incident.

A man entered Darrell’s Diamonds in The Meadows shopping center shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday and stole merchandise, Terre Haute police stated in a Facebook post. The suspect then met another man outside and they fled.

Store owner Darrell Bemis, 72, then allegedly “gave chase and fired multiple shots from a handgun,” according to the post. The Tribune-Star reports that he was booked on a preliminary charge of criminal recklessness. Police stated that Bemis was taken to the Vigo County Jail.

No injuries were reported.

The two suspects have not been located. They are believed to be adults.

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Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”