At 2:51 2 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 19, the alarm sounded the Gold/Smith Gallery at 41 Commercial St. in Boothbay Harbor. Officer Larry Brown of the Boothbay Harbor Police Department was on the scene within three minutes time. A bench outside the gallery, which sat in front of the left side picture window had been thrown through the glass to gain entry to the jewelry store/gallery. Brown was later joined by Police Chief Bob Hasch, Sergeant Pat Higgins and Officer Jared Mitkus.

Gallery owners John and Karen Vander were called and immediately joined law enforcement at the business Karen Vander started 38 years ago.

“It was a big 'smash and grab' theft,” Hasch said. “Karen and John are working on a list of stolen items for us. We have a lot of people working on this case.”

“As always, we encourage business owners to install security cameras – the more, the better,” Hasch said.

Meanwhile, officers continue to work on a number of leads in the case. Hasch said the department has also shared information with the New England State Police Information Network, the Maine State Police, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, and other out-of-state agencies.

Anyone who may have heard or seen anything suspicious during the wee hours of September 19 should contact lead investigator Brown, Chief Hasch or Sgt. Higgins at 633-2451 or 633-5616.