A thief grabbed several Rolex watches from Barry Peterson Jewelers in Ketchum late Wednesday afternoon and fled by smashing through a glass door.
"The suspect came into the business and inquired about some Rolex watches," said Ketchum police detective Ken Martinez. "The sales clerk was helping him when he fled from the business with multiple Rolex watches."
It was not an easy exit, however. Store owner Barry Peterson said the man ran right into a locked glass door.
"It's three sheets of glass with Mylar in the middle," Peterson said. "It just happened to be locked. He charged into it again and went right through the glass. It just shattered."
Martinez said the suspect, described as a "Hispanic male with an accent, clean-shaven, about 5-7 in height, 150-160 pounds," ran around the corner to the north and through the Courtyard mall on East Avenue. Martinez said an employee of Barry Peterson's gave chase, but lost the man after he cut through the Courtyard.
Peterson said the robbery, which occurred about 5:30 p.m., marked the second time the suspect had been in the store that day.
"His story was he had to go do something with his wife and he would be back later," Peterson said. "He was just a total professional. He was well dressed and carried himself well. He seemed to be a normal customer and it seemed like a normal sale."
It was the second time in 14 months that the longtime Ketchum jewelry store has been robbed. The shop, located on Sun Valley Road, was the victim of a "smash and grab" in November 2006 during which several items, including jewelry and Rolex watches, were taken.
"They are the easiest things to sell," Peterson said of the Rolex watches, which start at a price of $3,500. "We are always cognitive of this type of problem. It's constant in big cities and there is a rash of grab and runs in Florida right now."
Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to contact the Ketchum Police Department at 726-7819.
