Thieves cut through church wall to steal jewelry from shop next door, Nebraska cops say

Jewelry store burglars cut a hole in the cement wall of church to pull off a high-dollar heist, Nebraska police say.

The thieves cut a hole large enough to crawl through inside the downtown Grand Island church, police say. Then they accessed the jewelry store next door and cut open two safes.

In all, they stole about $250,000 in jewelry and other items, police say. The church sustained an estimated $50,000 in damage.

“We do have a couple of leads that we’re working on the case,” Capt. Jim Duering told The Grand Island Independent, saying the theft was more well coordinated “than what we normally see for our burglaries.”

Police say they are focusing their investigation on people they know had access to the church, KSNB reported.

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