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Suspect in Oakwood jewelry theft identified, arrested
Duluth business owner held on other charges, with more pending
0323BURGLARY
David Mercer Stubbs

A suspect has been arrested and will be charged following a recent burglary at an antiques shop in Oakwood.

Oakwood Police Investigator Danny Sridej was able to identify the man accused of taking some $30,000 in jewelry March 9 from Aardvark Antiquities, 4316 Mundy Mill Road in Oakwood. Viewers watching an Atlanta TV news station provided information that the suspect owned an antique restoration business in Duluth.

David Mercer Stubbs was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant from Duluth Police Department for theft by conversion for not providing services or retaining the victim’s property at his place of business. He was arrested on the outstanding warrant by Duluth Police Department and transported to the Gwinnett County Jail.

Sridej obtained a search warrant for Stubbs’ business and recovered some of the jewelry taken in the Oakwood burglary. Also found were drugs and other physical evidence linking Stubbs to the crime, Sridej said.

Sridej said there were other victims Stubbs may have stolen from based on the fact his warehouse contained a large amount of antique furniture without evidence of clear ownership.

Stubbs will be formally charged with burglary Monday, with more charges pending. He remains in the Gwinnett County Jail.

The suspect in the burglary was described on surveillance video as walking “like a penguin.”

Sridej said the man wandered around the antique shops for about an hour before unlocking the latch on a roll-up door at the back of the building. He returned the next night and entered through the door, stealing jewelry that the shop’s owner valued at more than $30,000, Sridej said.

He also attempted to disable the security system by damaging some electrical wires, but he was caught on video nonetheless.