Police in Bellaire are investigating an alleged impersonator accused of posing as a city worker to steal jewelry from retiree Donna Burnett’s home.

BELLAIRE, Texas — Police in Bellaire are investigating an alleged impersonator accused of posing as a city worker to gain access to a home and steal jewelry from a retiree.

“Nice, polite young man,” said victim Donna Burnett.

Burnett said she didn’t suspect anything unusual when a man claiming to be a City of Houston employee came to her door last Friday afternoon.

“Just as sweet a young man as you would care to meet,” Burnett said. “He turned out to be a thief.”

According to Burnett, the man told her his crew had struck a natural gas line and that it could be mixing with a water line, potentially contaminating her water. He said he needed to test it.

She said the man even poured dye into her toilet as part of the supposed inspection.

“He said I should’ve gotten a letter from the City of Houston, and I said I didn’t,” Burnett said.

I’m in Bellaire where this retired attorney lost a load of expensive jewelry after a suspected thief posed as a city employee checking water quality in order to gain her trust. I’ll unpack the ruse on @KHOU and have advice from police as they investigate the case #khou11 pic.twitter.com/92yCFg9C3w

— Jason Miles (@JMilesKHOU) March 17, 2026

At some point, Burnett believes the man — or possibly an accomplice — went upstairs and stole jewelry from multiple rooms.

“He just went through everything,” she said.

The stolen items include family heirlooms that Burnett said are irreplaceable.

“I just feel violated,” she said. “He went through my sister’s things, who has died now, and it’s just terrible that he did that.”

The City of Bellaire confirmed it has received reports of someone posing as a City of Houston employee in an attempt to enter homes.

Officials noted that Houston crews would not typically check utilities in Bellaire and shared these safety tips:

Verify official identification

Check for an authorized uniform

Look for a clearly marked city vehicle

Authorities say those precautions are important no matter where you live.

Burnett, a retired attorney, said the experience has changed how she views people.

“It says that you can’t trust people,” she said. “It’s very sad.”

Burnett does not have surveillance video of the suspect, but investigators are checking with neighbors.

The suspect is described as having dirty blonde hair and long sideburns.

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