Woman arrested for jewelry theft

A Kansas woman accused of stealing jewelry and a watch from a local jeweler appeared in Pitkin County District Court Monday morning.Elizabeth Karr, 44, was arrested on Sunday and charged with theft, a class 4 felony. She was free after posting $5,000 bail.According to the warrant for Karr’s arrest, a clerk at Patties Gemagination Jewelers told police on Saturday evening that she believed a woman in the store had stolen two rings, each worth over $2,000, and a watch. She said the customer was wearing a pass for the Food & Wine Magazine Classic around her neck, allegedly with the name “Elizabeth Karr” on it.The clerk told police there were only two customers in the store at the time of the theft, and the woman later identified as Karr was seen with her hand inside one of the display cases, according to court documents.Karr allegedly told the clerk she was staying at the St. Regis Hotel in Aspen, although the clerk called hotels and found a guest by the name of Elizabeth Karr staying at the Aspen Square Hotel.The warrant says police officers found a woman named Elizabeth Karr in a room at the Aspen Square Hotel. She showed them a receipt from Patties Gemagination for two silver band rings purchased on June 13, but she denied taking any rings from the store.During a search of Karr’s room, an Aspen police officer found a new titanium Citizen watch that was still on a display stand and a sterling silver ring with a purple stone in Karr’s suitcase, the warrant states. Karr allegedly told police she bought the ring in Kansas and the watch in Denver and did not have receipts.The jewelry store clerk told police both items are identical to items sold at Patties Gemagination.According to the warrant, Aspen police Detective Jim Crowley went to the Aspen Square Hotel and told Karr to leave the hotel room so that it could be sealed while a search warrant was prepared. When Karr asked if she could take her purse out of the room, Crowley told her he must make sure there was no stolen property in the purse.Crowley allegedly found several jewelry display stands in the purse, as well as tags for jewelry and watches worth almost $6,000. The clerk at Patties Gemagination later told police the stands are identical to those used at the store, and she did notice another watch missing, according to the warrant.She also told police several of the price tags match rings that are missing in the store’s inventory.Karr appeared in court on Monday morning for a first hearing with her attorney, Margaret Porter. According to Porter, Karr is a member of the Lawrence, Kan., Chamber of Commerce. Her next court date is July 10.