An 11-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the burglary of a DeKalb County home where four college football championship rings belonging to a former Florida State University player were stolen.
The rings, belonging to Jeff Womble, a Dunwoody High School grad who played at FSU from 1999 to 2003, have not been found, police said. Womble and his mother, Avis Williams, have made a plea for the return of the rings, which were stolen in the burglary sometime last weekend.
Police tied the 11-year-old boy to the burglary through a letter that was left at the scene that included his name and his school.
It appears the letter may have fallen out of the alleged young burglar's pocket, according to police and Williams. Police said arrests of more juveniles are expected to be made in the case.
None of the stolen items have been replaced.
What's irreplaceable, though, are the football national championship ring and three Atlantic Coast Conference rings Williams' son earned at FSU.
"They are sentimental. I wanted him to pass them down to his kids and grandkids," said Williams. Womble, 30, played nose guard at FSU from 1999 until he graduated in 2003.
The engraved rings were not insured. Their monetary value wasn't important, the mother said.
"His name and (player No. 19) are all over the rings," said Williams. "You can't just sell them on the street."
Williams returned home Saturday afternoon after visiting relatives for Thanksgiving. Her son picked her up at the train station. When they arrived at her house, it soon became obvious that someone had broken into the house. The two upstairs bedrooms had been ransacked. In a downstairs bedroom, a window had been broken out.
They noticed thieves had taken, among other things, the TVs, lap top, iPad, camcorder and binoculars. Then Williams noticed that the metal, locked security box that held the rings were missing from her closet.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing that he earned," she said.
"As far as what they're made of, they're not Super Bowl rings, they're not diamond encrusted, or anything like that," said Womble. "But only one team wins the national championship each year, and I just happened to be a part of the team that won in 1999″ against Virginia Tech.
Womble played against former Falcon and now Eagles QB Michael Vick that year, he notes. "That's what makes them sentimental to us."
Womble said he will be checking with FSU to see about getting the rings replaced, but it won't be the same. The rings were presented to the Dunwoody High School graduate in ceremonies headed by FSU coach Bobby Bowden.
"They meant a lot to me," he said.
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