Accused five-state jewelry thief breaks down in court

The Atlanta Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation said Monday that agents and officers assisting from the Atlanta Police Department arrested 35-year-old Lewis Jones III of Smyrna, Ga. on January 8, 2016 for his role in two violent armed bank robberies.

The second suspect arrested in connection with a string of jewelry heists in the Southeast, including the Jared Vault in Sevierville, Tenn., was also wanted for committing violent bank robberies in the metro Atlanta area.

The duo made off with a total of $2.2 million worth of merchandise. “She thought she could get away with a lot”, Godfrey said. Enlarge FBI FBI agents have said a man served as the female suspect’s accomplice in the robberies.

The goal of Monday’s appearance, Judge Linda T. Walker said, was to alert Kemp of the charges pending against her. She has not yet entered a plea. Enlarge Twitter Kemp could face up to 20 years behind bars if she’s convicted. Georgia’s license plate reader system also places the Civic near various locations during the time of the robberies and also revealed the auto was maroon but had recently been painted black. Authorities allege Kemp visited the store the day before the robbery.

The FBI analyzed data from cellphone towers near the jewelry stores, pictures from Kemp’s social media accounts, store surveillance and tips from the public to identify her and Jones as suspects in the robberies, authorities say in court records.

The FBI says they believe Kemp typically held jewelry store employees at gunpoint and either zip-tied their hands or herded them into a back room before ransacking the store and making her escape. The two weren’t close friends, but Lundgren said she wasn’t surprised to hear the news of Kemp’s arrest.

The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said Kemp was seen at Reed’s Jewelry Store in the Shoppes at River Crossing on Riverside Drive on December 29.

Kemp, 24, is the woman investigators believe is responsible for a series of robberies at six jewelry stores in five southern states including the August 11, 2015, robbery of REEDS Jewelers at Pier Park in Panama City Beach. I’m not saying she’s a party girl, but she’s always cracking jokes.

“She’s real chill. She’s hilarious”.

Natasha Silas, a federal public defender appointed to represent Jones, didn’t return messages seeking comment.

A criminal complaint accuses Kemp of conspiring with others to rob six jewelry stores in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee.