Waxhaw police trying to find owners of stolen jewelry

This browser does not support the video element.

By Liz Foster

WAXHAW, N.C. — Waxhaw police are working to return hundreds of pieces of jewelry believed to be stolen to its rightful owners.

When officers pulled over a car Tuesday for a window-tint violation, they found the jewelry that had likely been stolen but they don’t know where it was stolen from.

“We try to teach our officers whenever they are out patrolling and they stop a vehicle to look past the violation they stop them for,” Chief Michael Eiss told Eyewitness News anchor Liz Foster.

Some of the jewelry has pictures of children and some looks like family heirlooms.

“That’s very heartbreaking, actually, because I know whoever it belongs to, must be devastated,” Waxhaw resident Crystal Boddie said.

Officers also found a new laptop they believe was stolen and 3 grams of meth. Police arrested and charged Christopher Hough for having the drugs but now have the task of finding out who the jewelry belongs to.

Eiss said investigators have reached out to law enforcement agencies in Union County, Charlotte and South Carolina. They’re asking if there have been recent home break-ins in which jewelry was stolen.

“It’s definitely going to be a challenge but I think with putting it out on social media and working closely with other agencies, I think (we) will be able to find something out,” Eiss told Channel 9.

As of Wednesday, no one has claimed any of the jewelry but a few people have called the department thinking they may know who some pieces belong to.

“I hope they get it back,” Waxhaw resident Bill Welch said.

Because investigators don't know yet where the jewelry may have been stolen from, they cannot charge any of the people in the car with possession of stolen property. That could change as the investigation continues.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com: