LAKE CITY, Fla. -- The Lake City Police Department has arrested a man after he was caught allegedly selling stolen rare coins.

Before September 5, Manu Yogendra went to his vehicle, which was parked at the Windsong Apartments, according to a news release from Lake City Police Department Public Information Officer Craig Strickland.

Strickland said Yogendra found someone had stolen his collection of rare gold and silver coins from his car.

Yogendra immediately called police to give a detailed description of the stolen coins.

On September 7, a Lake City Police investigator visited local gold, silver and coin dealers. At North Florida Rare Coins and Bullion, the owner gave police a description of a man and a woman after comparing the list of stolen property with recent transactions.

Later that night, Srickland said the store owner called the police department to report the same couple had come in attempting to sell more rare coins. Yogendra positively identified both sets of coins as being the ones stolen from his vehicle.

On September 10, police were at the Windsong Apartments and questioned the man and woman about the stolen coins.

Strickland said after police were finished questioning the two, they arrested 20-year-old Damien Morgan on charges of burglary, larceny, dealing in stolen property and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Morgan was booked into the Columbia County Jail on $50,000 bond.

Police recovered several other coins in locations Morgan frequented, Strickland said. Morgan traveled to Jacksonville and Gainesville several times recently, Strickland said, returning with large sums of cash. The investigation is still ongoing.

Any gold, silver or rare coin dealers in the area are asked to contact Investigator Tammy Cox at 386-758-5471 if you feel this same person has come into your store selling rare coins within the last week. Strickland said when Morgan sold the stolen coins in Lake City he used the fake name "Doricko Simmons."

First Coast News