The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office has announced an arrest in a high-end jewelry theft. In early July 2023, the Sheriff’s Office received a report of a burglary and theft from a residence in the 6000 block of St. Vrain Road in unincorporated Boulder County. It was believed that the home had been burglarized sometime in June when the homeowners were out of town.

Since the house was on the market at the time, many people were coming and going. Authorities say this complicated the investigation. According to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, the victims reported that six pieces of jewelry were stolen with a combined value of over $475,000.

The lead detective worked with an investigator from the victims’ insurance company and the Gemological Institute of America to acquire descriptions of their jewelry and estimates of their value. In August 2023, authorities learned via GIA that they had been in possession of two diamonds. Each had a weight of just over four carats. The diamonds were identified using serial numbers and visual descriptors as part of the lot of stolen jewelry.

The diamonds had been sent to GIA for evaluation from a wholesale diamond dealer in Cherry Creek. Boulder County Sheriff’s Office detectives contacted the dealer in Cherry Creek and served a search warrant at the business. Detectives learned the identity of the individual who pawned the stolen diamonds and were able to recover two of the diamonds. The suspect was identified as 31-year-old Bryce Daniel Almus.

Authorities say they learned that Almus had visited the residence at least once as a prospective buyer. An arrest warrant was obtained for Almus on multiple charges, including one count of theft $100,000 – $1,000,000 and two counts of pawnbroker prohibited acts $100,000 – $1,000,000.

Detectives say they learned that Almus was likely near Benton Harbor, Michigan. On November 27, 2023, investigators with the Michigan State Police located and apprehended Almus in Berrien County. Almus was extradited to Colorado on December 5, 2023 and booked into the Boulder County Jail.