El Cajon

A man answering a newspaper ad for the sale of a valuable ivory collection stole more than $20,000 worth of ivory, jade and jewels from a residence in the Fletcher Hills neighborhood, El Cajon police said Wednesday.

Police said Robert James Flint had advertised that he was selling his collection from his Tyrone Street home. A man wearing a gray three-piece suit, who described himself as a potential buyer, came to the house Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. and pulled a gun on Flint once they were inside the house. Police said the man handcuffed Flint to a plastic drainpipe in the kitchen and started loading valuables into his car.

When Flint’s wife and 7-year-old son came home, the man threatened them at gunpoint, police said. Meanwhile, Flint pulled the drainpipe loose and ran for help, and the thief fled.