'I Feel Violated': New Lenox Jewelry Store Owner Shaken By Break-In

NEW LENOX, IL — The owner of a New Lenox jewelry store targeted by burglars last week was awakened by the alarms that someone was inside the store in the early morning hours of May 30. Kathy Lyons watched as cameras inside Zembar Jewelers picked up what was happening, playing it back just a slight delay from being in real-time.

"My heart was beating really fast," Lyons told Patch. "I was in a major panic. It was just a crazy moment."

Lyons, knowing police were en route after the security system had been triggered, rushed to her car and began the drive to the store.

"I don’t even remember the ride from my house," she told Patch.

Two suspects used a pry bar to get into the store just before 5 a.m. May 30, then smashed display cases with an ax, snatching up an estimated $30,000 in goods, police told Patch Monday. Police have some leads and are investigating after finding evidence left behind at the scene.

Surveillance footage captured the commotion inside, as Lyons watched in panic. It was the first break-in she's experienced while owning the business, which just notched its 13th anniversary.

"... they destroyed my displays," Lyons told Patch. "I feel violated. It’s hard to put into words how you feel after somebody has violated you like that."

Since the break-in, Lyons has decided to execute additional security measures to protect her store, she told Patch. Her awareness has heightened when in the store, she said.

"You do have second thoughts about, even when I go to the back," she told Patch. "I’m kind of scared to go to the back."

Lyons relocated the store to the Joliet Highway spot almost six years ago. Prior to that, the store was at Cedar and Francis roads. Before moving the store, she had considered permanently shuttering the business. But the new location offered her nearly double the space, in a strip mall. She told Patch that changes she was required to make to her doors prior to opening might have made the business more susceptible to forced entry.

Lyons, who managed at other jeweler chains previously, said she'd never seen a burglary overnight, but had witnessed attempted thefts during working hours at previous places of employment.

For the first time, she said, she's considering putting up a security gate at her store.

"It's really unfortunate," she said, of having to face that decision.

Lyons hopes people in the area will be more vigilant of suspicious activity. She has always felt drawn to the community, and hopes to feel safe continuing business there.

"Everybody in New Lenox has always been so loyal to me," she said. "They’ve been so good."