Search on for thief who stole expensive necklace from non-profit store that helps rescue animals in need
WANTED IN LYNNWOOD - Lynnwood Police are looking for Oleg Dopolyuk. He has a warrant for his arrest for theft.
He's accused of sliding open a case inside Bella's Voice thrift store, grabbing a gold necklace worth $900, then running out of the store.
What's even worse: It appears he staked out the store hours before, asking questions about whether it was real gold then returned later to steal it.
The store still hasn't gotten that necklace back but police want the person who did this to be held accountable.
Police reports say in addition to the scabs on his face, he also has scabs and red marks on his arms and neck.\
It's not all bad news for an organization doing so much to improve the lives of animals. After hearing about what happened, several local businesses and people in the area made donations.
Comstock Jewelers in Edmonds really stepped up, donating a piece of jewelry to replace the one that was stolen. They also donated and installed a new lock for their case to hopefully keep this sort of crime from happening again.
Cami Ovena, one of the founds of Bella's Voice, says she's so thankful for everyone who has helped out.
"We've never felt so much love and support from our community after this incident, and it just gave us the energy to keep going, remember what we're doing this for," Cami Ovena says. "It was really nice to feel like everybody had our back and wanted to help in any way they could."
If you know where officers can find him, submit an anonymous tip Crime Stoppers through the P3 Tips App on your cell phone and you will be paida cash reward up to $1,000 when he is arrested.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The owners of a charity store in Lynnwood say the theft of a gold necklace on Monday was a big hit to their fundraising efforts.
100 percent of the profits from Bella’s Voice go to support animal rescues and sanctuaries.
The store is named after Bella, a rescued cat.
Surveillance video from the thrift store at the corner of 40th Ave. W. and 198th St. shows the suspect reach behind the counter, open the case and remove the gold cross worth $925. "To be honest, that's the most expensive item we have in our store, or had in our store, so it was a pretty big hit. We're supporting the Feral Cat project this month, so we were hoping that money would go to help spaying and neutering feral cats this month, so it was pretty hard," said Cami Ovena.
Ovena says the suspect was in the store earlier in the day scoping it out. He returned about 3 P.M. "The cashier walked away from the register for a minute and he ran back in, reached inside the case and stole the gold cross and left," said Ovena.
Animal rescues and sanctuaries have had a hard time fundraising during the pandemic, so donations from Bella’s Voice are crucial to their operations.
They are hoping somebody recognizes the suspect described as white, with his hair shaved around the sides and back, long on top and with a part hanging down to the right.
If you know his name, submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound for Lynnwood Police and reference case #21-4705. There is a cash reward of up to $1,000 offered for information leading to an arrest in the case.