WAVE 3 TV Louisville, KY | Woman hopes father's stolen police badge will be returned

Woman hopes father's stolen police badge will be returned

By Connie Leonard - bio | email
Posted by Charles Gazaway - email

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Thieves stealing gold jewelry and trading it in for cash is a growing problem in this economy. Police say one man involved in this week's home burglary roundup in Bullitt and Jefferson Counties admitted that's what he did. One of the victim's is praying a precious keepsake stolen from her wasn't melted down.

After her home was ransacked, Denise Cambron realized her jewelry box was stolen and so was her most precious memory of her late father.

"He busted my glass door and went in and went straight to my bedroom and got my jewelry box," said Cambron. 

Monday, Cambron became a victim of a fairly common home burglary, but what was taken from her Okolona home wasn't so ordinary. 

"My daddy's badge happened to be in that jewelry box," said Cambron.

Her late father was Lt. William Edward Singleton, Junior, a well known officer who served the Louisville Police Department proudly for more than three decades. 

"My daddy worked for the city police department for 35 years and he worked hard for this community," Cambron said.

The gold-tinted retirement badge "No. 89" was special to the Singleton because it was the last thing given to him by the force. 

"Once it's melted, it's melted," said Lt. Scotty McGaha, a Bullitt County Sheriff's detective. 

Investigators worried that is exactly what might have happened to the badge. A few days ago, WAVE 3 reported on the joint investigation of home burglaries by the Bullitt County Sheriff's Office and Louisville Metro Police. A large majority of those burglaries happened in Okolona where Cambron lives. 

Police say suspect Edward Savelli, whose mother lives in Cambron's neighborhood, admitted he did many of those burglaries and took the jewelry to his alleged partner in crime, Jacob Houtchins. Police say Houtchins would then trade the stolen merchandise for cash at gold and jewelry exchanges. Investigators discovered Houtchins had taken a good amount to the Edlin Company Gold and Silver Exchange in Fern Creek and they uncovered receipts in the amount paid to Houtchins of $630.98. While the jewelry may be gone, the folks at the Edlin Company tell WAVE 3 they checked with all their employees and no one remembers the badge. 

"It meant a lot to him so of course, it meant a lot to me," said Cambron. "I want it back so badly." 

"They can have all that jewelry, they can melt it down and do what they want to it because I just want his badge back. He earned that badge." 

McGaha said police are seeing more cases of quick money through jewelry thefts and sales. Officials with the Edlin Company said they had no reason to suspect the jewelry was stolen and say if the badge was tin on the backside, they would not accept it. That means there is a very good chance the badge is still out there.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Bullitt County Sheriff’s Office or Louisville Metro Police.

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