Police: Thieves swipe diamond rings at Exton mall

EXTON A band of thieves distracted employees at a jewelry store at Exton Square Mall on Friday and made off with two diamond rings worth about $15,000 in total West Whiteland Township police said.

Three of the four thieves entered the Zales store together around 4:15 p.m., then separated and looked at jewelry with different employees, police said.

"Two of the subjects were there dealing with one of the employees," detective Scott Pezick said. "They were asking them different questions. At one point, the employee had to go in the back room, so we don't know if they reached around the display case with the key and took the two rings."

The employees noticed the rings missing once the men had left, Pezick said.

Police said one thief was a black male, 35 to 45 years old, approximately 6-foot-2 and thin with salt-and-pepper hair and a beard. A second man, also black, was between 50 and 60 years old and about 5-foot-11 with white hair and a beard.

The third man was black, about 60 years old, 5-foot-6 with salt-and-pepper hair and missing front teeth. The police said he was carrying a cigar and wore a necklace with a handgun-shaped diamond charm.

A description was not given for the fourth suspect. Pezick said he acted as a lookout.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Whiteland Township Police Department at 610-692-5100 or its anonymous tip line at 610-594-9057.