Jewelry

Girlfriend of NYC jewelry store heist suspect arrested in Stamford - The Advocate

STAMFORD—New York City police may not have found the three men they say robbed a Manhattan jewelry store of $4 million in precious jewels, but local officers say they did find one suspect’s girlfriend in Stamford with a piece of the stolen merchandise.

Capt. Richard Conklin said a U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force with officers from New York City Police and Stamford’s Narcotics and Organized Crime squad paid an early morning visit Tuesday to the apartment of Shalonda Washington.

Conkin said the task force believes that Washington, 37, is the girlfriend of Jaysean Sutton, 39, a suspect in the armed robbery of Avianne & Co. in Manhattan’s Diamond District. Police are also looking for Sutton’s alleged accomplice Pedro Davila, 27, in the robbery at the store where superstars like Nicki Minaj and Justin Bieber are known to frequent.

New York City Police say that Sutton, Davila and a third man who has not been identified were dressed as customers when they walked into the high-end jewelry store on Aug. 25, tied up store employees and shoved handfuls of expensive jewelry into a duffel bag. The New York Post reported that Sutton has six prior arrests, including three for criminal possession of a loaded firearm —the latest coming in February.

After being allowed entrance to Washington’s apartment by one of her kids at 5:45 a.m., police discovered two other minor children in the home, while Washington was absent. Conklin said the kids, aged 12, 9 and 2, were too young to be left alone.

Police waited about an hour and 15 minutes before Washington returned to the apartment. She was arrested on the spot and charged with three counts of risk of injury to a child.

When she was searched, police found a diamond charm inside her purse that the owner of Avianne & Co. said was part of the jewelry stolen out of the store a little over two weeks ago, Conklin said. The owner said the bauble was worth about $7,500.

Washington was additionally charged with third-degree larceny.

A federal search warrant was obtained, which led to police finding an electric money counter, a large amount of cash — Conklin said he could allowed to say how much — as well as some other pieces of jewelry that appear to be stolen from the Manhattan store.

Conklin said the investigation is continuing.

Washington was released after posting a $7,500 court-appearance bond. The state Department of Children and Families was notified and picked up the children after Washington was arrested.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com