Suspects in $700,000 Charleston jewelry robbery arrested

Charleston police say they have arrested suspects in San Francisco and Atlanta and charged them in the robbery of $700,000 of jewelry from a downtown store.

Authorities told media outlets that 35-year-old Charles Johnson of San Leandro, California, and 34-year-old Aquabeus Moore of Riverdale, Georgia, were charged this week with armed robbery.

Investigators say they found the van used in March 4 robbery of Demetre Jewelers, determined it was bought the day before in Georgia by someone with a fake driver’s license and tracked Johnson through a phone number given by the buyer.

The value of the 11 stolen Rolex watches and other jewelry was originally listed at $1 million, but police have revised the figure.

Police say more arrests are possible.

Spokeswoman Jennifer Timmons said the Columbia Police Department has had no indication the alleged thieves are the same two dressed in black who were responsible for a midday robbery Feb. 19at Sylvan Jewelers on Main Street.

“We have been working with other agencies to share intelligence information,” Timmons said. “We have not arrested our suspects. We continue to investigate.”

The Associated Press, Rachael Lowe

This story was originally published March 26, 2015 at 8:06 PM with the headline "Suspects in $700,000 Charleston jewelry robbery arrested."