GARDEN GROVE : Police Seek Owners of Recovered Jewels

Jonathan and Aijen Sarubbi never expected to see any of their jewelry again after it was stolen from their home last July.

But lucky breaks, including having a detective for a neighbor who recognized Jonathan Sarubbi’s unusual high school class ring, led to the reclaiming not only of that ring but the couple’s wedding bands.

Garden Grove police, who estimate that only 7% of burglary victims ever see their rings, necklaces, computers or silverware again, laid out tables of jewelry Tuesday estimated at $35,000 and other equipment retrieved from a jewelry store owner who was arrested last week on suspicion of receiving stolen property.

Although most of the $5,000 worth of jewelry and a videocassette recorder taken from their Westminster home was recovered, Jonathan Sarubbi said he and his wife were happiest to get the wedding rings they bought just two years ago.

“They have more sentimental value than economic value,” he said.

At least 10 people have claimed some of the property which police believe was taken in Santa Ana, Cypress, Westminster, Anaheim, Orange and Garden Grove, investigator Rosey Lodge said.

“The more property we can have people claim, the less we have to give back to the suspect,” Lodge said.

He explained that although the suspect, Khong Chung Huu, 42, did not have receipts for any of the property seized by police, it is not illegal to have the property in his possession if it is not proven to be stolen.

Khong was arrested last Friday after police followed a reportedly stolen car to his jewelry store at the Bolsa Mini Mall in the 9500 block of Bolsa Avenue in Garden Grove. The police watched as four teen-agers in the car unloaded a computer, compact-disc player, two videocassette recorders and other computer equipment from the car to the store, Lodge said.

The equipment was later found in a false ceiling in the store, he said.

Police then looked through the store, matching the jewelry to descriptions given by burglary victims in police reports.

“This is pretty lucky that they got this back,” Lodge said. Police also found machinery used to melt jewelry down in the back of the shop.

Some of the jewelry, including a ring with rows of diamonds and rubies, was on display in the store and probably would have been resold, Lodge said.

The Sarubbis will get their wedding rings back after police take pictures of the rings and record their descriptions for prosecution. Other robbery victims will be allowed to view the recovered property in about another week, Police Lt. Chuck Gibbs said.