MEBANE, N.C. — A woman possibly sought in 5 other jewelry store robberies in the South — netting more than $450,000 worth of goods — is wanted after now robbing a store in North Carolina.
The young woman, who has robbed jewelry stores in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee, is accused of tying up two workers during a jewelry store robbery Monday at Tanger Outlets in Mebane.
The incident was reported around 10:30 a.m. at the Jared Vault at 4000 Arrowhead Boulevard. No one was injured.
Mebane police said the woman showed a handgun and ordered the employees to a back room before tying them up with zip-ties. In previous robberies of jewelry stores, the woman also showed a gun and tied up workers at the stores with zip-ties.
The woman fled with an undisclosed amount of merchandise, but so far has stolen more than $450,000 worth of jewelry in the six total robberies, officials say.
Police released a surveillance image of the suspect. She stands about 5’8″ tall, weighs about 120 pounds and should be considered armed and dangerous, police said.
The same woman may be involved in similar robberies in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee, police said.
Before Monday, the last jewelry store she robbed was in mid-October in Tennessee.
Officials are also investigating similar robberies of jewelry stores in Florida, South Carolina and two in Georgia.
In October, authorities say the woman went into Reeds Jewelers in Panama City Beach, Florida with a gun. In this case, she told two store employees to go to the store’s restroom where she zip-tied their hands, just like in Sevierville, before getting away with more than $400,000 worth of jewels.
Police say she pulls out a gun and forces employees into the back where she then ties them up before stealing the jewelry.
The first robbery was a Jared in Woodstock, GA. The next robbery was at a Zales in Dawsonville, GA. There she stole jewelry worth $13,000.
A week later a woman robbed a Reeds in Panama City Beach. She hit that one for $40,000.
The next store hit was a Jared Vault in Tanger Outlet Two in Bluffton, South Carolina. The thief was described as wearing a blue or purple striped skirt, a lavender and black brimmed hat according to WJCL.
Police are trying to figure out if the robberies were committed by the same woman.
The methods are similar and all the stores that were robbed were chain stores at large retail shopping/ entertainment plazas.
If you can identify the woman, know her whereabouts or have any other information that can help investigators, you’re asked to call Mebane police at 919-563-9031 or Alamance County Crime Stoppers at 336-229-7100.
— CNN, WXII and WATE-TV contributed to this report
