Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** This article has been updated to reflect the latest details on the theft impacting a Tucson business ahead of the annual gem shows.
A business in the Tucson area was rocked by a theft just weeks before the annual gem shows.
By Emilee Miranda
Published: Jan. 3, 2025 at 10:38 PM MST | Updated: Jan. 3, 2025 at 10:40 PM MST
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – A theft has one business owner scrambling to find his product just weeks before the gem shows begin in Tucson. It’s also left another business without a critical piece of farming equipment.
“I have a dozen employees. The nursery has about 15 employees, and this can affect everybody down the line. It’s not just us that’s getting hurt by this,” said Tyree Lamph, owner of Utah Dump Digger.
A storage container once full of flat stones and bones set to be sold at the upcoming shows is now half empty after being broken into on Christmas Day near Avra Valley and Sandario roads.
Lamph who operates out of Utah said this is the first year they’ve left their product at their Tucson property. So far, they’ve estimated between $85,000-100,000 in products were stolen. Unless they can recover it soon, it’s going to devastate his business.
Lamph wasn’t the only one hit in this theft.
Bernie Jilka, owner of Nighthawk Natives Nursery, said she thought her gate had been opened by a helper who had arrived before her. She quickly learned that wasn’t the case.
She added that while the tractor is financed, she had already put between $8,000-9,000 into it. This tractor is also critical for everyday business.
Lamph said the trailer they stay in when visiting was also broken into.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is still investigating, and no suspects are in custody. Lamph is offering a $2,500 reward.
Anyone with information is asked to call 88-CRIME.
