By Sara Beth Williams–
A jewelry store is back open for business after a 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of robbing Kay Jewelers inside Sunrise Mall Sunday afternoon.
In an Aug. 17 press release, police said the suspect was apprehended only minutes after he attempted to flee the scene of a robbery, and added that investigators found evidence connecting him to a previous jewelry burglary at the same store in the beginning of July.
On Sunday after 1 p.m., officers responded to a report of a suspected thief running from the mall carrying a bag and hammer following a robbery at the jewelry store.
As officers responded to the mall, the department’s Real-Time Crime Center used nearby cameras to locate the suspect running through the parking lot. Police said the team maintained visual contact with the suspect and provided responding officers with live updates on his location.
Within four minutes of the original call, patrol officers located and detained the suspect. Officers recovered more than $79,000 in jewelry that police said had just been stolen from Kay Jewelers, along with a hammer, which was allegedly used to commit the crime.
Detectives obtained search warrants for the suspect’s residence and for a vehicle associated with him that was located in the mall parking lot. During the searches, investigators located additional evidence that police said connected the suspect to a burglary at the same jewelry store in July, where the suspect allegedly stole $30,000 in jewelry from the store.
Police shared photos of the incident on social media, which show a pair of gloves, a plastic shopping bag, and a hammer used in the burglary, glass windows broken and jewelry cases in disarray at the store, and the multiple necklaces and bracelets recovered. By Tuesday afternoon, Kay Jewelers had reopened for business.
Authorities arrested 19-year-old Xenon Picou Sunday on suspicion of robbery and burglary. Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office officials say Picou was booked on charges of burglary, robbery, and grand theft and is still in custody.
The Police Department highlighted the coordinated response between patrol officers, its Real-Time Crime Center and detectives in the investigation.
“Great police work is rarely one person or one tool,” the department said in its release. “It’s people working together, using every resource available, and following a case wherever the evidence leads.”
Picou’s next court date was scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 1:30 p.m.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Citrus Heights Police Department non-emergency line at 916-727-5500.
