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Warrenton Store Involved in Theft Ring Dena Laske always had suspicions about the day-to-day activities of Warrenton businessman Michael Sifrit.

By: Tim Schmidt
Posted 10/12/08

Last week those suspicions were confirmed. Local law enforcement authorities say Sifrit, owner of S&S Jewelers, and a Laddonia, Mo., couple living in Truesdale, were part of an elaborate …

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Warrenton Store Involved in Theft Ring Dena Laske always had suspicions about the day-to-day activities of Warrenton businessman Michael Sifrit.

Posted
By: Tim Schmidt
Last week those suspicions were confirmed. Local law enforcement authorities say Sifrit, owner of S&S Jewelers, and a Laddonia, Mo., couple living in Truesdale, were part of an elaborate five-county burglary ring that sold stolen items at the jewelry store located at the intersection of Route 47 and Veterans Memorial Parkway. Last Wednesday, Dec. 3, following the arrest of Carla K. and Kibb P. Howard on burglary and stealing charges, deputies from Warren and Lincoln counties raided the Warrenton business and seized several guns, a computer, and hundreds of rings, watches, stones and other jewelry items, according to Warren County Sheriff Kevin Harrison. Police described the business as a front for selling the stolen items. Laske, an employee at The Medicine Shoppe pharmacy located just across the hallway and in the same building as S&S Jewelers, watched Sifrit being taken away in handcuffs. In two instances, Laske said, she had walked into Sifrit's store and saw him showing off a machine gun and another time selling a knife on eBay. "In a way it didn't surprise me," Laske said. "I had wondered how you keep a business open when you're never there. Mike was in and out all the time." Sifrit, 42, of Fenton, was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. Carla Howard, 26, and Kibb Howard, 27, were each charged with felony stealing, second-degree burglary, possession of a controlled substance, and endangering the welfare of a child. All three, housed at the Warren County Jail, made their first court appearances on Monday. More charges are expected to be filed, including some at the federal level, authorities said. The arrests were the culmination of investigations by several police agencies that included witnesses identifying a red Jeep in the same area of the burglaries and aliases used by Kibb Howard. Authorities said the Howards broke into homes in Warren, Lincoln, Montgomery, Audrain and Pike counties. All the burglaries happened during daytime hours in the past 45 days. Harrison said Carla Howard would approach a house and knock on a door. If someone answered, she would give a reason for being there. If the home was unoccupied at the time, her husband would leave their vehicle and kick in the door. According to Harrison, the Howards told police during their initial questioning they burglarized homes to feed their $300 to $400 a day heroin addiction. "We knew we had something organized going on," Harrison noted. "We knew we had individuals working the area. We've known if we could get a break, we were fairly confident we could solve multiple cases. We never thought it would turn out this wide of an area." The Howards were taken into custody last Tuesday, Dec. 2, after information provided by Audrain County authorities found the red Jeep believed to be used in the theft ring was registered to a resident of Truesdale. Harrison said when Warren County deputies made contact with the vehicle's owner, he identified the drivers of the Jeep as his son and daughter-in-law, Kibb and Carla Howard. Later that day, deputies found the vehicle at a residence in the Bel-Aire trailer park in Truesdale. The Howards were located and arrested. Their three children were taken into custody by the Missouri Division of Family Services, Harrison said. According to Harrison, police seized items at the residence including a stolen laptop, tools, jewelry, MP3 player, DVD player and clothes. Also seized were heroin residue and paraphernalia. The Howards told police they would normally sell the stolen items to Sifrit. "Tuesday morning the pieces came together at that point," Harrison said. "Everybody had a little piece of the puzzle, but couldn't put it together. It all started coming together fast." The following morning, deputies from Lincoln and Warren counties conducted a raid at S&S Jewelers where Sifrit was arrested and items seized. That evening, authorities went to Sifrit's residence in Fenton and located approximately 50 guns, televisions, bows and arrows, knives, VCRs, DVDs and stereo equipment. The Howards' residence in Laddonia was searched on Dec. 4 and more firearms and jewelry were found. On Friday, additional firearms allegedly belonging to Sifrit were found at a friend's house by Warren County deputies. As of Friday afternoon, Harrison said his department had cleared six local burglary cases. S&S Jewelers was at its present location for approximately two years and previously was at the outlet mall. Before moving his business to Warrenton, Sifrit owned a pawn shop and jewelry store in Washington. "Mike was a nice guy," Laske said. "Back in my mind, I always wondered what are you really doing…just because you don't run a business and never be there." The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Warrenton Store Involved in Theft Ring

Warrenton Store Involved in Theft Ring

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