PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) Three Georgia men face up to life in prison after being found guilty following a federal trial in the Florida Panhandle on conspiracy charges connected to six jewelry store robberies across the southeastern United States.
Among the stores that was hit was the Zales jewelry store at North Georgia Premium Outlets in Dawsonville. That hold-up happened on August 5, 2015. In that incident, two store employees were zip-tied and held at gunpoint while the store was robbed.
Jurors took about four hours Monday to convict 36-year-old Lewis Jones III, 44-year-old Larry Gilmore and 47-year-old Michael Gilmore.
The News Herald (http://bit.ly/2ascNKD ) reports three Atlanta men were charged in the case after 25-year-old Abigail Kemp was arrested and told investigators she was recruited and trained to carry out robberies. She also claimed the three men sold more than $4 million in jewels to a buyer in Miami.
Kemp pleaded guilty to the same charges and faces a life sentence. A hearing is scheduled Oct. 10.
The robberies took place in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.
AccessWDUN staff contributed to this story.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/7/427176/3-convicted-in-string-of-jewelry-store-heists-across-south-including-dawsonville-store