Posts in category: Crimes

Santa Barbara, California -March 18, 2024 – Detectives with the Santa Barbara Police Department have arrested a suspect in a string of recent crimes targeting local jewelry stores.

According to police spokesperson Ethan Ragsdale, one robbery and two grand thefts/burglaries occurred at three jewelry stores in Santa Barbara between February and March. The total value of the stolen jewelry was estimated at around $53,000, Ragsdale said.

Following weeks of investigation, detectives identified 40-year-old Santa Barbara resident Omar Velazquez Sanchez as the suspect in the case. On March 15 at around 10 p.m., SBPD detectives and the SWAT team arrested Sanchez near the intersection of Quintettos Street and South Milpas Street “without incident,” Ragsdale said.

According to Ragsdale, detectives located multiple items of jewelry on Sanchez during his arrest that police believe are from the involved jewelry stores. A loaded firearm with a removed serial number that�s believed to have been used during the one robbery was also found in the car Sanchez was driving, Ragsdale said. His bail was set at $250,000.

Click here to read the original article written by Jackson Friedman.

LINCOLN, Neb.- March 14, 2024 – Lincoln Police are hopeful that two robberies have been solved after arresting a man on multiple warrants. On Wednesday, officers took 23-year-old Rolando Camareno into custody on five county warrants, two of which regard felony theft and burglary. Camareno was also a suspect in two robberies between 2023 and 2024.

One of the robberies included a jewelry store at a mall. which was robbed on Oct. 6, 2023. Video surveillance shows a man in a grey sweatshirt smashing a glass case with a hammer before pushing an employee to the ground. The suspect then broke a different glass case open and made off with $10,000 worth of jewelry.

Police later developed Camareno as a suspect in the robbery, and he was questioned about it after being arrested. He claimed to have been robbed of $10,000 in the days leading up to the robbery and was looking for quick way to get money, according to his arrest affidavit.

Officers think Camareno was inspired to rob the shop after listening to a rap song “where the individual used a hammer to break glass and collect jewelry.” Camareno was also questioned about a robbery on Feb. 17 after a 19-year-old claimed someone stole his backpack. The teen said he was walking home from school when a car without plates pulled up to him in a parking lot. A man got out of the car and demanded his belongings before flashing a handgun in his waistband, police wrote. The victim claimed the suspect told him, “if you�re gonna run, I�m gonna shoot you.” He handed over his backpack, and the suspect drove off with multiple cards and a Lincoln Public Schools Chromebook, court records show.

Police also thought Camareno to be a suspect in this theft and asked him about the incident. He claimed that the backpack had been stolen from a friend and that he was getting it back, police wrote. He also denied having a firearm. Camareno is currently being lodged on the robbery charges alongside his warrants. He was arraigned on two robbery charges on Thursday, and his bond was set at 10% of $100,000. His next court date is scheduled for April 18.

Click here to read the unredacted article written by 10/11 NOW news.

Ocala, Florida – February 21, 2024 – Police have arrested a man who they say robbed a northeast Ocala jewelry store a week ago. Authorities said the man, Michael Deon Woulard, is a suspect in a similar jewelry holdup in another county that took place several months ago. Ocala Police Detective Denise Drake and Jacksonville officials interviewed Woulard last week about the jewelry store robberies. Local officials said Woulard admitted to committing the crime at the jewelry store in Ocala. He told detectives he committed the robberies because he wanted money, according to an arrest affidavit.

Woulard was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals and Gainesville authorities after a traffic stop on Feb. 21, the day after the Ocala armed robbery.

A search warrant for the vehicle Woulard was driving at the time he was detained was obtained. Detectives said they recovered a large amount of jewelry from the vehicle. Detective Austin Ridge of the Ocala Police Department assisted Drake with the investigation.

Ocala officials said they don’t think Woulard was involved in two jewelry heists at the Paddock Mall that occurred in late January and early February. On Feb. 20, the day before Woulard’s arrest, Ocala police officers said a man, believed to be Woulard, entered the jewelry store in Ocala. T

Police said the robber wore dark clothing and a face covering. Armed with a firearm, the man ordered two employees into the bathroom, then broke display cases and removed large amount of jewels. The robber fled and police were called.

During the investigation, detectives were made aware of a similar robbery in Jacksonville. Jacksonville authorities were contacted. Investigators found similarities in the crimes and the description of the gunman.

Authorities in Jacksonville had DNA evidence that they say linked Woulard to their holdup. Due to the connection, detectives from both Jacksonville and Ocala combined their resources to apprehend Woulard.

A warrant for Woulard’s arrest was issued on Feb. 26 for robbery, false imprisonment, drug possession and tampering with evidence. He also has a warrant from Duval County for robbery.

Criminal record

The Ocala store was closed from Feb. 20 until Feb. 23. An armed security guard was in the store when the Star-Banner reporter visited the business on Tuesday. Asked if the store always had security, the woman told the reporter she could not answer that question.

Police officials they have not specifically assigned any personnel to the store and believe the armed guard is privately retained by the store.

Though Woulard does not have a criminal record in Marion County, state documents show he has been in and out of prison since July 2011 for various crimes such as drug trafficking. According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement website, Woulard is a designated sexual predator with convictions for lewd or lascivious exhibition on a victim younger than 16 in Duval County.

Click here to read the original source of this article from the Ocala StarBanner.