Mesquite Thieves Pose as City Work Crew

Man posing as city worker lured woman into backyard while someone stole her jewelry

It only took 15 minutes for two cunning con artists to steal 50 years of memories from Ann Skaer.

The Mesquite widow told police that a man came to her door on Tuesday to tell her about some work being done in the alley. The well-dressed man told Skaer he worked for the city.

"He was telling me all these wonderful things they were going to do for me, and that I'm not going to have to pay a thing," she said.

While the man lured the woman into her backyard to show her the work, someone else sneaked into her home. The thief stole thousands in jewelry, including Skaer's wedding ring.

"That was a very sentimental group of things that I had," Skaer said. "We were married 42 years when he died, and it's pretty hard to deal with. That's gone."

Crooks also stole a Japanese dragon ring with rubies and emeralds. Skaer said her father bought the ring in Japan after World War I.

"Over my father's ring, I'm just killed, because I can't ... replace it," she said.

Lt. Bill Hedgepeth said Mesquite police are looking into the case.

If residents are concerned, they can ask work crews to show their badges or call the city to confirm that workers are in the area, he said.

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