Friday, June 13, 2008

Six arrested after 'Blue Jean Bandits' smash van into store and one was involved in the Decatur robbery.

Well, looks like they did catch at least one of the Blue Jean Bandits that hit Kaleidoscope. They already had him in police custody on unrelated charges of theft and obstructing an officer.



By Jose Pagliery
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/13/08

The Dawson County Sheriff's Office on Thursday identified five of six alleged "Blue Jean Bandits" who were arrested after the foiled burglary of a Dawson County clothing store.

Four men and a woman ranging in age from 17 to 42 were arraigned Thursday morning in Dawson County Magistrate Court.

The charges against them included burglary, conspiracy to commit theft, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and giving false names to police.

The unnamed person was the one police believe drove the stolen 2000 Dodge Caravan used in the botched heist.

Though police initially believed the driver was 16, Dawson sheriff's Sgt. Tony Wooten said Thursday that the suspect may have lied to investigators.

That person remains in custody.

All six people are suspected in a robbery attempt early Tuesday of a Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th store at the North Georgia Premium Outlets.

A private security guard watched as a silver van backed into store's doors, smashing the glass and creating an entry and escape route.

The same store had been hit three weeks earlier in a similar smash-and-grab robbery in which an estimated $20,000 worth of designer blue jeans were stolen, according to Wooten.

The van's occupants noticed the security guard was watching and left, Wooten said.

Two deputies pursued the vehicle into Forsyth County, where officers used a "stop stick" —- a spiked strip to puncture tires —- to force it off the road.

The vehicle's occupants ran away, and deputies and police took part in a seven-hour manhunt before the suspects were apprehended.

On Thursday, bond was denied for three men believed to have committed the burglary: Altavious Demon Jackson, 23; Jermichael Lockett, 18, and Deyancious Lewis, 17.

Bond was set at $20,000 apiece for a man and a woman who allegedly helped the others elude police during the manhunt: James Edward Burson, 42, and Abby Marba, 26.

Police said that while all the suspects in the Saks Fifth Avenue burglary have been apprehended, others involved in similar crimes remain at large.

On Thursday, police obtained warrants for Slyricus Winder, one of several suspects in the violent robbery June 4 of the Kaleidoscope Boutique in Decatur.

When those warrants were issued, Winder already was in Atlanta police custody on unrelated charges of theft and obstructing an officer.

"Somebody gave some pretty good information, and we were able to secure the warrant for the armed robbery," Atlanta police Officer Ron Campbell said.

Decatur police have charged Winder in the Kaleidoscope robbery.

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