Springfield jewelry store robbed; employee tied up

Two men tied up a jewelry store clerk Saturday afternoon and robbed the establishment of an unknown amount of merchandise in broad daylight.

Police said the men entered Rolfe’s Jewelers, located at 619 W. Columbia St., around 3 p.m. on Saturday. One man reportedly carried a black handgun and the female employee was tied up with duct tape. She was eventually able to shake free and called police.

The clerk was not hurt, according to police. It was unclear how long the woman had been tied up.

No arrests have been made.

“Crews are working on that as we speak,” said Springfield Sgt. Doug Pergram.

The store’s ownership declined to comment on the robbery. Police said there were no other witnesses, despite the fact the robbery happened in the middle of the afternoon.

“In the 20 years I’ve been around I can only think of three or four times a business was robbed in this fashion,” said Springfield Lt. Jeff Meyer.

A robbery at the same store made headlines 10 years ago when two men and a woman fled the scene and led authorities on a police pursuit that eventually ended after the suspects crashed their vehicle, according to Meyer. The three suspects were from Columbus and were arrested, he said.

The investigation in connection with Saturday’s incident is ongoing. Authorities at the scene said they did not have descriptions of the suspects or a vehicle.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to contact Springfield police at (937) 324-7685.

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