CARY — A man who went to a pawn shop to sell jewelry got a visit from Cary police, who arrested him Monday on charges that he had taken almost $32,000 worth of jewelry from a home where he was house-sitting for friends.

Donnie Allen Perrell, 46, of 136 Jones Franklin Road in Raleigh had agreed to take care of a Donna Place house, investigators said.

When the owners returned, they reported that jewelry and a gold coin valued at a total of $31,495, were missing. All they could tell police was that it had happened some time between Sept. 8 and Sept. 26.

After learning Perrell had visited the pawn shop, police charged him with felony larceny and several felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses. Police make the latter charge when they arrest someone they believe is trying to get money from a pawnbroker by falsely claiming to own what they sell.

Perrell was being held Tuesday at the Wake County Detention Center on a $14,000 bond.