Wedding ring recovered, owner makes deal with alleged thief


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SANDY — A woman who had her wedding ring stolen from a Sandy gym has been reunited with the ring more than one month after it was stolen.

Rebecca Cottam said Thursday that she did not intend to press charges against the thief, part of a deal Cottam made to persuade the woman to help her get her ring back.

"The most important thing was just to get my ring back," Cottam said. "I was just willing to do whatever I could. I think she'll get what's coming to her in time. I just don't want to be a liar. She's a thief. I don't want to be a liar."

Sandy Police recovered the heirloom diamond from a store at The Gateway shopping center in Salt Lake City. The woman told Cottam that she had sold had the ring for $200.

"It made me sick to my stomach," Cottam said.

However, Cottam was relieved the diamond had not been sold. She said it had only been modified to remove a small flaw.

Cottam's ring was stolen on Aug. 13 at the Gold's Gym at 7990 South 1300 East.

Detectives said the thief likely used bolt cutters to cut through a lock and gain access to Cottam's belongings.

Cottam contacted KSL a day later and began a social media campaign to recover her ring. The case went viral, resulting in thousands of shares on Facebook.

There was no surveillance footage available from the initial heist, but a break in the case occurred when Cottam said the same thief hit the same gym 6 days later.

Cottam said somebody saw something the second time around, and investigators were ultimately able to track down the suspect.


I mean, I just started bawling.

–Rebecca Cottam


The woman originally denied taking her ring, but changed her story after police confronted her with surveillance video from another store where she used a gift card found in Cottam's purse.

Cottam then attempted a different tack through police intermediaries — she promised not to press charges if the woman would lead her to her ring.

The deal and tireless investigative work from Det. Tyson Downey paid off, Cottam said.

Sandy Police Sgt. Jon Arnold said an outcome like this one — with stolen property like a wedding ring being recovered — is extremely rare.

"I mean, I just started bawling," Cottam said. "I was in tears. My hands were shaking."

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