Housekeeper, brother nabbed in $100,000 jewelry heist

Published 12:29 pm Tuesday, May 11, 2010

A Vicksburg woman employed in a local home has been arrested and charged, along with her brother, in the stealing and pawning of about $100,000 in jewelry from the home.

Lenora Benard, 42, and Willie Wardley, 26, both of 96 Marguerite Drive, are accused of grand larceny from a home in the 2500 block of Cherry Street, police Lt. Bobby Stewart said. The jewelry, stolen since January, was pawned throughout the city, Stewart said.

Benard was employed at the home as a housekeeper and arrested there at 8 a.m. Monday. Wardley was arrested at police headquarters minutes later when he checked on his sister. Police were told Wardley had accompanied his sister to the home several times.

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“Some of the jewelry has been recovered,” Stewart said.

Benard and Wardley were released from the Warren County Jail, each on $50,000 bond.

The same house was burglarized April 1, during the day when no one was home. Workers at a nearby house alerted police after seeing a group of teens and young adults leaving the home. Four people were arrested in the weeks after the burglary.

Most of the belongings stolen in April have been recovered, Stewart said.

Three of the four remained in jail; the fourth was released on bond. All four cases are expected to be presented to the July term of the Warren County Grand Jury.