A 38-year-old Saukville woman already in trouble with the law for allegedly forging a check from her ex-fiance was charged Monday with stealing a $2,750 diamond ring from a jewelry store.

    Onyetta M. Kretlow was arrested after she tried to resell the ring, as well as another piece of jewelry, at a shop near the jewelry store shortly after she stole them, according to the criminal complaint filed in Ozaukee County Circuit Court.

    Kretlow was charged this week with one count of felony retail theft, a crime punishable by a maximum 1-1/2 years in prison and two years extended supervision.

    Last week, Kretlow was charged with one count of forgery, a felony punishable by a maximum three years in prison and three years extended supervision.

    According to the complaint in the theft case, an employee of Armbruster Jewelers in Cedarburg told police that on Tuesday, Jan. 15, Kretlow was looking at rings in the store and appeared to be trying to distract the person helping her. At one point, the employee said, Kretlow was seen behind the counter where diamond rings are displayed.

    Kretlow eventually made a purchase and left the store.

    Employees were not aware Kretlow had stolen jewelry until the owner of the nearby Pagoda Fine Jewelry store told them that Kretlow tried to sell her two types of rings sold by Armbruster Jewelers, the complaint states. That’s when employees discovered a $2,750 Hidalgo diamond ring and $195 silver promise ring were missing.

    When the jewelry store called Kretlow in an attempt to recover the jewelry, she said that store employees mistakenly put the rings in the box with the item she purchased, according to the complaint. Kretlow then returned the jewelry.

    Employees told authorities it’s highly unlikely that happened.

    When confronted by police, Kretlow told them a similar story. But after being told that surveillance video showed her behind the counter where the Hidalgo rings are kept, Kretlow admitted to trying to sell the rings but insisted she did not knowingly take them from the store, the complaint states.

    In the forgery case, Kretlow’s ex-fiance told authorities that when the couple was engaged to be married, he wrote a $200 check to a caterer. After the wedding was cancelled, he said, Kretlow told him that she destroyed the check, according to the complaint.
    It was later discovered, however, that Kretlow had written her name over that of the caterer and cashed the check, the complaint states.