3 indicted in Columbia, Charleston jewelry store robberies

A federal grand jury has indicted three men in connection with their roles in two separate jewelry store robberies.

Charles Eloys Johnson, 35, of California, Aquabeus Moore, 34, of Georgia, and Jerry Harbin, 29, of California are accused of conspiring to rob Sylvan Jewelers in Columbia on February 19, 2015, and MP Demetre Jewelers in Charleston on March 4, 2015, according to U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles.

The three are also charged with possessing a firearm during the respective robberies, Nettles said. If convicted, the conspiracy and robbery charges carry up to 20 years, and the gun charges carry a mandatory consecutive sentence of five years.