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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Fort McCoy housesitter accused of stealing shotgun and jewelry

Terry Allen Savage

A Fort McCoy man is in the Marion County Jail for allegedly stealing a shotgun and other items from a house he was staying at while the owner was out of town.

A Marion County sheriff’s deputy responded Saturday to a residence on NE 135th Street, where the homeowner’s son reported his mother’s shotgun had been stolen. He said his mother asked him to check for her guns, which are kept in her bedroom closet. The victim’s son said he noticed a 20-gauge Mossberg shotgun was missing, according to the sheriff’s office report.

The victim’s son said a man – Terry Allen Savage – and a woman have been living in the location for the last month and are the only other people who have been in the home. Savage, 27, of 10755 NE 20th St., and the woman were not at the residence when the deputy was on the scene, the report said.

The deputy contacted the victim by phone and she said she is currently working in Tennessee and let Savage and the woman stay at the residence for free to watch over her home while she was gone. She said she was told by her son the shotgun was missing from the closet. She said the last time she saw the gun was on June 17 and it was in a soft camouflage case in her closet. The victim said the value of the gun and case is $336. She also said she is missing a black trolling motor, valued at $150, that was removed from the shed on her property, according to the report.

The victim’s son contacted the deputy later and said Savage and the woman had returned to the residence and he asked them about the missing shotgun. He said Savage told him he took the firearm to his mother’s house so it could be secured and would not be stolen. The victim’s son said the woman told him Savage took the gun so he could go hunting and that it is at Savage’s mother’s house. The victim’s son said the two suspects collected their personal items and left the location, the report said.

On Monday, the victim reported she received a phone call from Savage’s father saying that Savage brought him the firearm and he had it at his house. She also said she believed Savage stole some jewelry as well, but she wasn’t in town to check her jewelry box. The deputy conducted an online pawn transaction search and saw that Savage had pawned four gold rings, a single earring and a gold necklace pendant with the word “mom” in the center of it. The victim said the description of these items matched pieces of jewelry she owns, according to the report.

The victim’s son checked his mother’s jewelry box and confirmed the items pawned were missing. The deputy took photos of the pawned items and emailed them to the victim, who confirmed the jewelry was hers. She estimated the value at approximately $250, the report said.

Savage’s father contacted the deputy on Tuesday and said his son gave him the shotgun and trolling motor after he called him and told him he’d better return the items. Savage’s father said he had both items at his house, according to the report.

Savage was arrested Tuesday afternoon and charged with grand theft of a firearm, dealing in stolen property, and giving false information to a pawnbroker on items valued at less than $300. He’s being held on $6,000 bond and will answer to the charges in Marion County Court on Aug. 6.