A jewelry theft at the Manteca K-Mart store occurred about 2 a.m. Thursday when thieves broke through front windows by the main doorway and the alarm reportedly failed to function.

Manteca Police said employees reporting to work shortly after 4 a.m. discovered the broken windows where suspects made their entry and called police.   Jewelry cases had been smashed and a trail of items was located on the floor and outside the door as well.

A chain link fence on the east side of the building had been cut and more jewelry items were found on the ground, officers said.

As of press time there was no amount of monetary loss to the store through the burglary.  Police said other K-mart stores throughout the state have been struck in a similar manner.