Jewels, silver stolen from Pryors’ home

Former U.S. Sen. David Pryor and his wife reported more than $30,000 in silver, jewelry and other items stolen Thursday afternoon from their Greenbrier Road home in Little Rock, a police report released Friday said.

David and Barbara Pryor left their home at 9:30 a.m. Thursday without closing their driveway gate and got a call from David Pryor’s assistant about 2:15 p.m. that their house had been ransacked.

The Pryors found a sliding glass door in the back of the house ajar and the front door unlocked, according to the police report.

Drawers were removed from antique furniture, and bedspreads were missing from beds. The report said it appeared those items were used to carry the stolen goods out of the home, just off Cantrell Road.

The Pryors reported as stolen more than $20,000 in sterling silver place settings,trays, bowls and pitchers that they had collected over the past 50 years - much of which had been wedding presents.

The jewelry taken included Barbara Pryor’s wedding bands and two gold pocket watches. The police report said Barbara Pryor would provide an inventory of the “large amount” of jewelry missing for detectives.

David Pryor, who also served as governor and now sits on the University of Arkansas board of trustees, said they had some insurance on the items.

“But you cannot insure sentimental value,” he said.

Other items reported stolen include two MacBook Pro laptops.

Crime-scene investigators took fingerprints around the house. There was no evidence of forced entry, according to the police report.

David Pryor said he’d seen a suspicious brown truck in “rough condition” on his street Wednesday night and again Thursday morning, although he couldn’t recall its make or model.

He said he’s confident police will catch the burglar or burglars. Five years ago, his pickup was stolen from the same home, and he said police returned it within 24 hours.

The former senator said he and his wife still felt fortunate in light of the recent tornado that struck Moore, Okla.

“We lost a few things, but we didn’t lose everything like those people in Moore,” he said. “I guess we have to count our blessings.”

Police spokesman Sgt. Cassandra Davis did not return multiple e-mail and phone requests for comment Friday, so it was unclear if any arrests had been made or any suspects identified in the case.

Arkansas, Pages 11 on 06/01/2013

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