3 accused of committing burglaries at Valley jewelry stores

Alleged jewelry burglary ring busted in Phoenix area

Authorities arrested 3 suspects accused of carrying out a string of jewelry store burglaries across the Valley, hitting locations in Phoenix, Litchfield Park, and Sun City.

PHOENIX - Three men accused of committing multiple burglaries at Valley jewelry stores have been arrested. 

Timeline:

On Aug. 14, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office says two masked suspects broke into a jewelry store near R H Johnson Boulevard and Camino Del Sol in Sun City just after 3 a.m.

"Once inside, the suspects used a hammer to smash display cases and filled a large red bag with stolen jewelry before fleeing on foot," MCSO said.

MCSO says DNA evidence at the scene identified 63-year-old Gerard Segers as one of the suspects.

"Investigators also linked Segers' Dodge Ram pickup to the area through nearby traffic camera footage taken minutes before the burglary occurred," MCSO said.

On Sept. 6, MCSO says its detectives reviewed surveillance footage of a burglary that happened at Litchfield Fine Jewelers, located near Camelback and Dysart Roads.

"Fingerprint evidence recovered from the scene matched Segers, and detectives later tracked a black Volkswagon EOS used in the crimes," MCSO said.

Investigators say they followed the vehicle to a home in Phoenix and on Sept. 24, GPS tracking information from the vehicle showed it was at the scene of another burglary in Phoenix, near 7th Street and Greenway Parkway.

MCSO says a search warrant was executed at the home where Segers and two other people, 62-year-old Alexander Townsend and 57-year-old Eric Waller, were detained.

"Inside the home and vehicles, detectives recovered stolen jewelry, burglary tools, clothing matching surveillance footage, and DNA evidence linking all suspects to the crimes," MCSO said.

All three suspects were arrested and booked into jail. They're accused of burglary and theft charges.

What they're saying:

The owner of a jewelry store in Sun City West says DNA left behind by rushing suspects helped the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office make arrests.

John Mora, whose family has owned Gold and Gems Unique for 53 years, said the store has been robbed before, but nothing compared to the 3 a.m. break-in on Aug. 14.

"Seen it all, seen it all. Like I said, this is not our first rodeo," Mora said.

Mora was at home in Scottsdale when his phone alerted him to the break-in, which he watched in real-time on surveillance video.

Sun City West jeweler recalls brazen heist after arrests

MCSO arrested suspects in an August Sun City West jewelry heist at a decades-old family store, believing one of the suspects is linked to multiple other Valley burglaries.

"They busted through the front door, the front glass, and they came around and smashed all three cases, which there was hardly anything in there, we put everything away," Mora said. "They went out the door within three minutes."

In their rush, the suspects inadvertently left crucial evidence.

"They were rushing fast, they weren't taking their sweet time. And in the process, they cut themselves, and that's all we needed," Mora said.