Wanted Michigan Jeweler Arrested in Florida

Port Huron, Mich.--A Michigan jeweler wanted for allegedly taking customers’ jewelry after his business closed down has been arrested near Jasper, Florida.

Rick Currie, 62, has been wanted by the Port Huron Police Department for nearly a month after being evicted from his now-closed store, Rick Currie Master Goldsmiths. 

Currie was evicted from his store on Jan. 6 for failure to pay rent, according to the Jewelers Security Alliance, and hadn’t returned the jewelry that his customers left in his possession.

The JSA said the Port Huron police received 160 complaints about Currie as well as allegations of more than $300,000 in losses.

Port Huron police had issued an arrest warrant for Currie on charges of larceny by conversion of $20,000 or more and larceny by conversion of $1,000 or more or less than $20,000.

The police continued its investigation to locate both Currie and the missing jewelry, noting in a press release that while it was following up on leads and executing search warrants, it gathered information that put his location in Florida.

According to the release, the Port Huron Police Department’s Neighborhood Enforcement Team provided information to the U.S. Marshalls Fugitive Task Force Northern Florida Division on Friday that lead to a traffic stop on Interstate 75 near Jasper, Florida.

Currie was taken into custody without incident. Police said his vehicle contained a large amount of allegedly stolen jewelry, though the value of the pieces have yet to be determined. 

A lawyer is not yet listed for Currie in court records.

He currently is being held in the Hamilton County Jail, pending extradition to Michigan on those felony warrants.

Once Currie has been extradited to Michigan and the jewelry returned to the Port Huron Police Department and inventoried, investigators will contact those who had filed complaints to positively identify their jewelry.

Extradition is expected to take at least two weeks.