Thieves Rob Man of $200,000 in Jewelry

An Oakland man who had gone into a store in Seal Beach to sell jewelry came out to discover that $200,000 worth of jewelry had been stolen from the trunk of his car, police said.

Sheldon Milenach, 53, had parked in the Safeway Center lot at 1000 Pacific Coast Highway and gone into a jewelry store there about 3 p.m. Wednesday, Seal Beach Police Officer Kevin Vilensky said. When Milenach went back to his car, he discovered that the trunk had been pried open and two jewelry cases containing items valued at $200,000 were missing, Vilensky said.

According to witnesses, two thieves opened the trunk and threw the cases into a waiting vehicle with at least two more people inside, Vilensky said. The thieves drove away in two vehicles, he said.