Does this jewellery belong to you? Burglar arrested with 30,000 items – and the police are trying to trace who owns them

Items on display at local high school in an attempt to find rightful owners

John Suddard, 39, arrested trying to hawk stolen goods at a pawn shop

He has served three prisons terms for burglary since he was 19



Haul was hidden in 31 duffel bags along with cash, coi ns and a handgun

Haul: Career burglar John Suddard was arrested at a pawn shop. Police later discovered 31 duffel bags stuffed with jewellery at the home of his brother-in-law

A career burglar has been found with a stash of 30,000 items of jewellery after being arrested trying to sell stolen goods at a pawn shop.



John Suddard, 39, who has served three prisons terms for burglary since he was 19, was arrested in the Albany area on December 31 attempting to pawn jewellery and coins which he is believed to have stolen a day earlier in nearby Hudson Falls, Vermont.

New York State Police later discovered the haul which included pearl necklaces, gold chains, bracelets, coins, silverware and other valuables hidden in 31 duffel bags along with cash, coi ns, a handgun and game tokens.

The duffel bags were found on the property of Suddard's brother-in-law, who is cooperating with the investigation.

Police believe most of the items were stolen since Suddard's last release from prison in 2007.

He operated mostly in the cluster of three counties around Hudson Falls, though it's not clear how far Suddard traveled.



He also spent some time in other Northeastern states and in Florida.



Suddard is being held in jail without bail on charges of possessing stolen property. It wasn't clear whether he had a lawyer and h e declined a phone interview from jail.

In an attempt to find the owners of the stolen items police in Hudson Falls near the Vermont border, will tonight put the items on display at the local high school.

Burglary victims will be invited in, and an officer will escort them around tables set up in the cafeteria to see if any of the items are theirs.

Stash: A small selection of some of the 30,000 items of jewellery discovered by police including pearl necklaces, gold chains, bracelets, coins, silverware

One of Suddard's possible victims Francesco Venturiello, whose Schenectady home was burglarized in May lost cash and roughly $75,000 worth his wife's jewelry, including irreplaceable pieces bought in Italy.



He said: 'I swear to God, if we find anything in there, I'm going to have to call an ambulance. My wife will faint.'



Career criminal: Lt. John Durling of the New York State Police shows a picture of Suddard, who has served three prisons terms for burglary since he was 19, during a news conference at Hudson Falls Village Court

Hudson Falls Police Chief Randy Diamond said items recovered so far link Suddard to 24 burglaries, though there could be many more.



Police say the burglar's method of operation was basic: Wait until people leave their house, break in and search for cash and jewelry.



He worked mostly in colder months, when the sun sets earlier. He struck whether the homeowners were gone for weeks or minutes. He kept burglar's tools and a camouflage ski mask in his car, police said.



'Seldom did he actually encounter anybody in the house,' Washington County Undersheriff John Winchell said.

'There were a couple of times when he was spooked - people showed up and he had to run out the back door. ... Generally, his crimes went unnoticed for days.'



The suspect pretty much stole 'anything somebody would throw in their jewelry box,' Winchell said, and then some.



'One of the bags I went through actually had an adult molar,' Winchell said, 'right down to the roots.'



Chief Diamond said it appears that Suddard pawned the most expensive items and may have held on to the remaining booty to sell later. Of the items recovered, a small number have inscriptions linking them to victims.



The display at Hudson Falls High School on Wednesday is for the items that can't be identified. The viewing is restricted to people who reported a burglary and have a police report.



'Victims will not be allowed to take identified items home just yet, because they are still potential evidence.



Search: Police in Hudson Falls are taking the novel step of displaying the items at the local high school tonight in an attempt to find their rightful owners