The Woodstock Police Department arrested a traveling burglar Thursday morning after he allegedly broke into a local business with a crowbar.
Woodstock jewelry store break-in
A serial burglar is in jail after breaking into Art Jewelers in Woodstock on Thursday morning. Business owner Andrew McDeermond watched the live surveillance cameras around 7:30 a.m. and gave a play-by-play description to 911 dispatchers. A man wielding a crowbar forced his way through the back door and began filling a small metal trash can with jewelry. Woodstock police responded rapidly and used a patrol car to block the suspect’s vehicle as he tried to speed away through the parking lot.
The suspect, identified as Scott Candor, was wanted for crimes across multiple jurisdictions. Police confirmed Candor was already wanted on outstanding warrants for a nearly identical burglary at the exact same jewelry store in February, during which $70,000 worth of merchandise was stolen. Captain Ron Sinfelt of the Woodstock Police Department described Candor as a traveling burglar. Candor is currently held in the Cherokee County Jail on charges of burglary, fleeing, and multiple narcotics offenses.
Police investigation
It remains unclear how many other jurisdictions have active warrants or pending charges against Candor for similar commercial break-ins. Officials have not yet disclosed the specific types or exact value of the illegal drugs recovered during his arrest that led to the multiple narcotics charges. Additionally, authorities have not stated whether any of the $70,000 in merchandise stolen during the initial February break-in has been recovered or traced.
Criminal history at Art Jewelers
This week’s incident marked the second time Art Jewelers was targeted in an identical fashion. In February, a thief utilizing the exact same tools—a crowbar and a trash can—broke into the business at 7:30 in the morning. The striking similarities in the timing, entry method, and tools immediately led both the store owners and police investigators to believe the same individual was responsible for both crimes.
McDeermond and Sinfelt on arrest
“You always love a good brought to justice story,” said Andrew McDeermond with Art Jewelers. McDeermond noted that the rapid capture provides peace of mind, adding, “It felt awesome knowing he was caught. Now hopefully justice will be fully served. It helps you rest easy when you got back up like Woodstock PD taking care of it.”
Captain Ron Sinfelt praised the business owner’s quick thinking during the crisis. “We were getting real time information from the business owner,” Sinfelt said. “They could see the gentleman inside with a hood on, he had a small metal trash can and he was filling it up with jewelry.”
