Port Republic Man Arrested After Stealing Jewelry from his Mother

January 18, 2019
Matthew Lee Dunphy, 22 of Port Republic

Matthew Lee Dunphy, 22 of Port Republic

On December 16, 2018 at approximately 6:40 a.m., police from the Calvert County Sheriff Office responded to a residence on Howard Drive in Port Republic for the report of a theft.

Police arrived on scene and made contact with the victim who told officers that she was looking through here jewelry box and noticed that some of her rings were missing. She took police to her bedroom and there they saw the jewelry box that was kept on her dresser and had three rings in it. The victim told police that she had put the three rings in it while she was looking for her other rings.

When asked by police if the victim had any idea of who could have taken her jewelry, she told police that she believes her son, identified as Matthew Lee Dunphy, 22 of Port Republic, stole the rings. When asked by police why she thought that it was her son, she told officers that Dunphy has a history of drug and alcohol abuse.

The victim was asked if Dunphy had stolen any of her property before and she told officers that he had and that he would write blank checks to himself, but she had never filed a report. The victim told police that the last time she had seen her son was on Christmas and that he had appeared extremely nervous and left soon after he arrived at the house.

The victim gave police a list of items that were stolen and on January 2, 2019 at approximately 4:00 p.m. officers received a copy of Dunphy’s local pawn records from October 9, 2018 to November 6, 2018. Police observed on the document ten rings that Dunphy had sold to the Jewelry Exchange and all matched the description that the victim had given police.

A summons was issued January 6, 2019. Dunphy is being charged with theft $1,500 to under $25,000 and is due in district court February 25, 2019.

Matthew Lee Dunphy, 22 of Port Republic

Matthew Lee Dunphy, 22 of Port Republic