A screenshot from provided surveillance video shows a person breaking into the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals, Dec. 24, 2023.
Courtesy of Washington County Sheriff's / OPB
A burglar struck a Hillsboro-area museum on Christmas Eve and fled with thousands of dollars worth of gold.
The exact value of the stolen nuggets and formations wasn’t disclosed by Washington County Sheriff’s Office officials on Tuesday, but publicly released images show multiple pieces of gold worth at least $2,000 each.
Detectives said they were looking for an “average-built” white male who was recorded on security cameras in the early hours of the holiday plundering the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals.
Footage showed a man wearing black clothing and using a sledgehammer to break open one window around 2:33 a.m. Dec. 24. Tape from another camera showed him with a black bag in hand leaving the scene four minutes later.
Responding investigators found a tall glass display case smashed open. The entire case, which had displayed dozens of gold pieces of various sizes according to photos provided, appeared to have been pilfered.
Police responded to an alarm at the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals to find dozens of gold items missing from a shattered case.
Courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff's Office
Based on the photos, the stolen metals appear to be quite valuable. Gold is valued in troy ounces and it is indexed on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold values have risen this year and are currently at $2,069 per troy ounce.
One image released by law enforcement showed a handful of chunks weighing between 0.16 troy ounces to as much as 1.57 troy ounces and 1.74 troy ounces. And several pieces pictured appear much larger.
Police responded to an alarm at Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Mineral on Christmas Eve, finding the glass shattered on a gold display case, with gold items missing.
Courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff's Office
Deputies said they tried to set up a perimeter around the museum and used police dogs to help with tracking, but the suspected burglar escaped.
Officials said they are asking the public for help and advised people to call 503-846-2700 with any information.
Deputy David Huey said detectives had not yet received any tips. He said detectives are likely looking at places where a burglar could “offload” the metals, such as a pawn shop.
“Our hope is that, after the hump of the holiday, we’ll get some stuff to develop,” Huey said.