CLINTON, Tenn. — For many people, high school class rings are a cherished reminder of their time in school. A Dandridge man lost his ring around 40 years ago after his Morristown home was burglarized in 1981.
But now, the class rings of him and his former wife are back after a brief investigation by the Clinton Police Department.
Randall Manning graduated from McDuffie High School in 1970, and his former wife graduated from Crescent High School in 1972. They were in South Carolina and later moved to Tennessee.
CPD returned the rings after they were found in a container of scrap gold purchased from an out-of-business pawn shop. A former police chief, Clifton Melton, was going through the container and discovered the rings.
He reached out to Lieutenant Carl Bailey, who heads CPD's criminal investigation division. Bailey started searching for the rightful owners, eventually discovering a social media page for one of the school's alumni. Through the page, he was able to find contact information for Manning.
The Dandridge man was able to identify the rings as the ones he lost many years ago. As of Thursday, they were back in his hand.
However, police said they found another lost class ring that didn't belong to Manning. Now, they said that Lt. Bailey is back on the case to find the owner of the third missing class ring.
