Female jewelry store robbery suspect sought in 5 states
MEBANE, N.C. — The FBI and several law enforcement agencies across the South are looking for one woman — possibly the mastermind behind a string of jewelry store robberies.
A robbery at a Jared Vault store in Mebane, N.C., on Monday is being investigated as possibly related to five other robberies in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee, police said.
Witnesses of the robbery in Mebane told police a woman walked in and a short time later showed a handgun, zip-tied two employees and forced them into a back room. The woman took an undisclosed amount of merchandise and left the store.
A woman matching the description of 5'8" tall, who is 120 pounds in her late 20s, is accused of robbing stores at gunpoint in Bluffton, S.C., Dawsonville, Ga., and Woodstock, Ga., as well as in Tennessee.
In August in Panama City Beach, Fla., a suspect also tied up store employees and put them in a separate room. The FBI Jacksonville Division confirmed they are seeking information regarding a female suspected of robbing a Panama City jewelry store, who also is suspected of robbing the Jared store in North Carolina.
In a video posted on the FBI's website, Special Agent in Charge Lawrence Borhghini said, "This is unusual for a female to be conducting armed takeover robberies. This is a violent activity."
While it appears the woman was alone inside the North Carolina jewelry store, surveillance photos of other robberies show the woman was accompanied by a male. The two are suspected of using a 2009-2010, red Honda Civic LX as their getaway car.
It's unknown just how much the two may have stolen in the course of their crime spree, but CNN reported they got away with $400,000 worth of goods from Panama City Beach.
The suspects are considered armed and dangerous.