The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested a man and a woman suspected of pulling off several jewelry heists in six states. Federal authorities received tips from the public resulting to the capture of the suspects.
A 24-year old woman believed to have committed jewelry heists in multiple Southern states was arrested by the FBI along with her male accomplice. The woman was identified as Abigail Lee Kemp while the male suspect's identity has not been released by the authorities. Newsy reported that the two suspects were arrested on Friday, January 8 in Smyrna, Georgia after being on the run from authorities since April.
The man was seen with Kemp in a surveillance video captured during the robberies in Florida and Georgia. Federal authorities described the man being in his late 30s or early 40s, around 6 feet tall, and weighing 250 pounds.
FBI made the arrest after receiving credible tips from the public. In their website, the FBI, along with state and local law enforcement agencies, asked for information to identify the two suspects in the jewelry heists.
Photos of Kemp were publicly released in September after a robbery of a jewelry store in Panama City Beach, Florida. The photos showed that the suspect was a white female in her late 20s or early 30s, about 5'8" tall, and weighing 130 pounds. Surveillance videos showed that the suspects were using different cars and that one car was a 2009 or 2010 red Honda Civic. Both suspects were believed to be armed and dangerous.
According to Fox News, the most recent heist of the jewel thieves occurred on Monday, January 4, 2016 in a Jared Vault store in Mebane, North Carolina. Kemp reportedly held up two store employees to the back room at gunpoint and zip-tied their hands. After locking them in, Kemp took jewelry items from their display cases and put them into a shopping bag before fleeing the store.
Authorities believe that Kemp used the same strategy to rob various jewelry stores in the Southeast region. Kemp was believed to be responsible for robbing a Jared jewelry store in Woodstock, Georgia way back April 29, 2015; a Zale's Jewelry in Dawsonville, Georgia on August 5, 2015; a REEDS Jewelers in Panama City Beach, Florida on August 11, 2015, a Jared jewelry store in Bluffton, South Carolina on September 2, 2015; and a Jared Vault in Sevierville, Tennessee on October 16, 2015.
The jewelry stolen by Kemp and her accomplice across the region is assumed to have a value of approximately $4 million. It was reported that Kemp stole jewelry worth $13,000 in Georgia and $40,000 in Florida. The FBI extended its appreciation to the public for their cooperation leading to the suspects' arrest.
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