LEROY, N.Y .(WKBW) — A LeRoy Police Department detective is being praised for his diligence and persistence in finding a wedding ring that was stolen from a nursing home resident's hand.
According to police, an elderly nursing home resident with dementia had her wedding ring stolen from her hand. Erica Champagne Clark allegedly stole the resident's ring while working inside the facility. The resident's family reported it to police after realizing the ring was missing.
The department said the ring was recovered months later, thanks to Detective Kaden Vangalio, who personally traveled to Buffalo and went from pawn shop to pawn shop looking for the stolen wedding ring.
"That persistence paid off when he located the victim’s ring at a Buffalo pawn shop, secured the bill of sale with the suspect’s signature, recovered the stolen property, and ensured the ring was returned to its rightful owners and back with the family where it belongs," the department said in a social media post.
According to police, Clark avoided contact with investigators for months, but she ultimately turned herself in and was charged with third-degree grand larceny and first-degree endangering the welfare of a physically disabled person.
"This may not be the crime of the century, but you cannot put a price on the sentimental value of a wedding ring. We are proud to help bring closure to this family and grateful for the excellent work of Detective Vangalio in making that happen," police said.
sammi_saurus on June 9th, 2026 at 16:34 UTC »
Uplifting that it was found but very not uplifting that it was stolen in the first place. And by a supposed caregiver. Yuck. We need to pay our health care workers more and vet them better to prevent this awful behavior.
typicalcavalryguy on June 9th, 2026 at 15:39 UTC »
After finding the ring, the detective closed with, “….. just… one more question?”
l3tigre on June 9th, 2026 at 15:23 UTC »
awful that someone would do that but incredible that it was actually found.