North Haverhill
Marc Garza, 52, of White River Junction, appeared in Grafton Superior Court for a plea and sentencing hearing on Monday and received a deferred house of corrections sentence. He also must pay $7,520 in restitution, divided between the owner of the jewelry and an insurance company.
Garza purchased jewelry in March 2017 that he knew, or “probably” knew, had been stolen, according to the indictment from February 2018. He also acquired it by offering “far below its reasonable value” to the person who brought it to him, which is illegal in New Hampshire, the indictment said.
The value of the jewelry exceeded $1,501, an amount that is the basis for the felony charge, and he offered Newport resident Ethan Fontaine $600. The indictment didn’t specify what type of jewelry was involved.
Reached at the coin and jewelry shop off Route 5 on Wednesday, Garza said he had no comment.
Fontaine, 25, pleaded guilty in September 2017 to burglarizing Jim and Lori Roy’s home in Claremont. The Roys own Roy Funeral Home and Jozach Jewelers, both in Claremont, and Pearce Jewelers in Lebanon. Fontaine also pleaded guilty to two counts of receiving stolen property in the Sullivan County court case.
Jim Roy told the Valley News on Wednesday that Fontaine burglarized his family’s home, which is attached to the funeral home, during a funeral. The items Fontaine stole included a ring with a “high value,” Roy said.
Sullivan County Attorney Marc Hathaway said Fontaine stole “tens of thousands of dollars” in jewelry from the Roys and pawned it at several shops, including Upper Valley Coin & Jewelry. Fontaine received a county jail sentence.
Garza’s business used to be on Main Street in West Lebanon, but he moved it last year to White River Junction when he bought the property that had been the longtime home of antique and vintage clothing stores Heirloom Antique Center & Furniture Hospital and Mainly Vintage.
He reportedly had planned to turn that building into a gym, but a fire last summer destroyed the building. The cause of the fire was labeled “undetermined,” according to the Hartford fire chief.
The building was demolished and the lot where it stood now sits empty. A smaller building on the property is home to the coin and jewelry store.
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.
Correction
Upper Valley Coin & Jewelry store owner Marc Garza is 52. An earlier version of this story gave an incorrect age.