Police: Man who rammed into JCPenney also stole $91K in jewelry weeks before

By Sara Beth Williams–
Police have confirmed that the suspect who barreled through the JCPenney entrance at Sunrise Mall in December 2024 with a pickup truck is believed to be the same man who stole $91,000 in jewelry from JCPenney earlier in November 2024.

In an update to neighbors during a January Citrus Heights Seven, Eight, Nine neighborhood area meeting, Lt. Wesley Herman with the Citrus Heights Police Department Investigations Services Division said the department has identified Gregory Billman as the suspect who rammed a truck through the entrance of JCPenney early one Sunday morning in December.

Billman was arrested previously on Nov. 19 for suspicion of stealing over $90,000 in jewelry in a smash-and-grab burglary at the same JCPenney. Sacramento Main Jail records show Billman was released on bail on Nov. 21.

Herman said while Billman was out on bail, he stole a pickup truck from a car dealership in Roseville, “drove it around for a little bit,” and then proceeded to drive to JCPenney, ram through the entrance, steal jewelry and exit through another entrance of the store with the stolen vehicle. The vehicle was later recovered outside the city by police, previous reports show.

A new estimation indicates that the damage caused from the pickup truck ramming through the JCPenney entrances is at least $350,000, Herman said, adding that the estimated loss of jewelry was over $100,000.

Herman said Billman was arrested again on another warrant, and the Police Department is currently waiting on one more piece of evidence from the lab before officially submitting charges to the District Attorney’s office.

Arrest records show Billman had previously committed a felony while released on bail back in 2019 and has had a history of prior arrests on charges including possession of controlled substances, manufacturing a short-barrel gun, forgery, burglary, hit and run resulting in property damage evasion of a peace officer, and resisting arrest. Billman is from Auburn, California.