A 25-year-old Tennessee woman, in town to visit her dying father, allegedly took more than $80,000 in rare watches from his home, then tried to sell the items on eBay, police said. She was arrested April 28 when she returned to Honolulu to attend her father's funeral.

The woman's stepmother called Honolulu police, and investigators discovered a set of watches being sold online, including an 1873 timepiece that was part of the father's collection, police said. That watch was valued at $1,200.

Officers posing as eBay buyers bought $2,500 worth of watches from the woman before arresting her on suspicion of second-degree theft, police said. Theft in the second degree is a class "C" felony punishable by up to five years in jail and a $10,000 fine.

The woman has not been charged. The case is open and investigators are having the items appraised to determine their exact value.

"We need to establish the number of items stolen and the value, and whether or not the dispute could be deemed a civil matter," said Honolulu police Lt. Eric Brown of the Kailua substation. "You see these cases often. Relatives come to stay, then pack a few extra things when they leave."

The city prosecutor's office will not comment on the arrest or whether charges will be filed, said Jim Fulton, executive assistant for the office.

The woman told police she needed the money and did not tell her stepmother she was taking the watches. Officers are still working to recover $77,500 worth of additional property, police said. More than 10 timepieces are missing, police said.

Rare pocket watches built between 1790 and 1950 can fetch $2,000 to $12,000 per timepiece, according to bogoff.com, an antique Web site. The watches in this case were manufactured within that time period, police said.

The stepmother's original complaint to police reported that $85,000 worth of watches were taken.

The suspect was released pending investigation and allowed to return to Tennessee.

Detectives also are gathering other evidence, including obtaining a copy of the father's will, to determine if the case is a civil matter or whether criminal charges can be sought.

Police have investigated other complaints of stolen property being offered for sale online. In February and March, police found a half-dozen stolen surfboards and clothing stolen in burglaries on the Windward side of O'ahu.

Neither case led to arrests, although police were able to confiscate some of the goods and return them to their owners, police said.

In January and February, officers found stolen electronic items, including portable DVD players and laptop computers taken from car break-ins and burglaries in Honolulu and Kane'ohe, on online auctions, police said.

Proving that the person who stole an item is the same person putting it up for sale can be difficult, police said. Often, the stolen item is sold to two or three other people before it is auctioned online, and sometimes the person selling it has no idea they are selling stolen property.

Howard K.K. Luke, a Honolulu defense attorney and former deputy city prosecutor, said Hawai'i theft laws hinge on whether prosecutors can prove that someone was not authorized to assume ownership of another person's possessions. Luke, who declined to discuss specific cases, said the distinction between theft and a civil matter can become blurred when family ties are involved.

"If the alleged perpetrator of an offense is related by blood, marriage or some other form of acquaintance, then the need to determine a lack of authorization is all the greater," Luke said. "It's not a guarantee (of a theft charge) because there is a relationship, and it is very difficult sometimes to prove the lack of authorization in a familial relationship."

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.