Theft victim praises Eddyville Police chief

John Choat

An Eddyville theft victim praised Police Chief Shane Allison and the Marion Police chief for having recovered 90 percent of his stolen items.
John Choat, public works supervisor in Eddyville, is relieved that police have recovered most of the family heirloom jewelry taken from his home.
The thief “took some of my wife’s jewelry that she inherited from her late grandmother, jewelry that she had gotten from my mother-in-law, and two Masonic rings that belonged to me,” Choat said.
His parents had given him one of the rings when he went through the ritual to become a Mason, and his mother-in-law, Lois Hicks, had given him the other when his father-in-law died last October.
“They were very important to me,” he said. “The monetary value was really insignificant when it compares to the sentimental value. They were things that can’t be replaced.”
When Choat discovered the items were missing, he and his family were devastated thinking they would never get them back.
“But thanks to the good Lord and prayer and the good work of the Eddyville Police Department and the Marion Police Department, we did recover about 90 percent of our jewelry including the two Masonic rings,” he said.
However, a couple of items of family jewelry were not recovered. Some of his wife’s heirloom rings were recovered but some were not.
Even so, Choat said: “We really got lucky.”
Police recovered items valued at $6,700 taken in several home thefts in Eddyville and Marion, at a nearby pawn shop. All the items taken were valued at $21,200.
“The Masonic rings and some of our items were already boxed to ship when the police got there,” Choat said. “And they were supposed to have been shipped the day before — fortunately the clerk had forgotten to mail them and the police were able to recover them.”
Though the monetary value wasn’t the most important factor for the Choats, it was a sizable amount — about $2,500, he said.
Police have charged Victoria Dawn Collins, 40, a partner in a housecleaning business, with the thefts, which allegedly occurred when she was cleaning the victims’ homes.
The other business partner also is a theft victim, Choat said. “I feel so badly for her,” he said.
Choat warned the public to be vigilant when outsiders come into the home.
“It would be my advice to (homeowners) to watch your belongings,” he said, noting it’s hard not to trust people. “When you have somebody in your house, you have to watch your belongings.”
“It’s hard, and it is really a disappointment in human nature,” Choat said. “I want to look at the best in everyone.”
Other members of Choat’s family in Marion were also theft victims, and they too had used the same cleaning service.
“That’s how we connected the dots,” he said. “I feel really sorry for the other partner ... I truly believe that she is a victim herself, and I just want people to know that I think her reputation has been damaged unjustly. I’m sorry for that, and I think she’s a fine person. She’s welcome in my house anytime.”