A son has been charged with stealing valuable information from a venerable jewelry store in The Villages operated by his mother.
Blake Gallaher, 34, is facing charges of felonious offense against intellectual property, unlawful computer access, grand theft and burglary in connection with the alleged theft of a computer from Arden’s Fine Jewelers at Lake Sumter Landing.
Gallaher left his mother’s jewelry store last year and began operating Luxury Diamond Company at Baylee Plaza in Summerfield.
Prior to that, he reportedly went to his mother and demanded that she sign over her stock in Arden’s Fine Jewelers, where he was working as a salesperson. She refused.
After he had been terminated, Gallaher entered the store on Canal Street on Nov. 20 and removed a Hewlett Packard server that contained all of the jeweler’s business transaction data and customer data, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. Without the computer connected to the store’s network, Arden’s could not conduct any business.
The next morning, Gallaher contacted a manager at the store and told the manager the server could be picked up at his residence. When the manager took the server back to the store, it was not operational.
Evidence also suggested Gallaher had been remotely accessing Arden’s computer system. A detective tracked the illicit activity through Comcast back to an IP address at Gallaher’s residence. He also erased surveillance images of himself in the store, according to the arrest report.
The detective interviewed two Arden’s customers who said that on Feb. 9, they had been contacted by Gallaher by email about his new jewelry venture. The customers said they believed their personal information had been obtained through Arden’s database.
Arden’s Fine Jewelers owner Nedra Townley said she is concerned about misleading information her customers may be receiving and about protecting the business she has worked so hard to build. Arden’s was one of the earliest retailers to locate in The Villages.
Gallaher was arrested in February by Marion County sheriff’s deputies. He remains free on $11,000 bond. He has pleaded not guilty in the case.