PHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 Three men have been arrested on several felony charges in connection with multiple jewelry store burglaries throughout Phoenix and the West Valley.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, the Maricopa County Sheriff\u2019s Office (MCSO) announced the arrests of Gerard Segers, 41; Alexander Townsend, 62; and Eric Waller, 57, who detectives said are tied to burglaries in Litchfield Park, Phoenix, and Sun City.<\/p>\n
According to deputies, the sheriff\u2019s office was investigating a burglary at a jewelry store near R.H. Johnson Boulevard and Camino Del Sol on Aug. 14. On that day, investigators said security cameras captured two masked suspects breaking a store window, smashing a display case, and filling a large red bag with stolen jewelry before running away.<\/p>\n
Evidence at the scene identified Segers as one of the suspects, including his Dodge Ram pickup, which was caught by traffic cameras in the area.<\/p>\n
Then on Sept. 6, detectives learned about a similar burglary at Litchfield Fine Jewelers, near Dysart and Camelback roads, where Segers was also linked through fingerprints. Investigators also tracked down a black Volkswagen sedan reportedly used in the crimes.<\/p>\n
Authorities then obtained a GPS tracker warrant and surveilled that car, which led to a home in Phoenix. About two weeks later, tracking information showed the suspects\u2019 vehicle at another burglary near 4th Street and Bell Road.<\/p>\n
MCSO detectives soon obtained a search warrant and detained all three men at that Phoenix home, where authorities recovered stolen jewelry, burglary tools, and clothing that matched surveillance footage. DNA evidence also linked the men to the crime, the sheriff\u2019s office said in a news release.<\/p>\n
All three men were booked into the Maricopa County jail on burglary and theft-related charges.<\/p>\n
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