Palm Beach, Florida – A 36-year-old Arkansas man is facing multiple felony charges after Palm Beach police say he broke into a jewelry store and stole more than $100,000 worth of merchandise.
According to the Palm Beach Police Department, officers responded to a burglary alarm at FoundRae, located at 450 S. County Road in Palm Beach, around 2:30 a.m. on July 28. Investigators said the front glass door had been shattered and two jewelry display cases inside the store were broken.
Police identified the suspect as Montrel J. Banks, 36, of Arkansas. Investigators said surveillance video showed Banks breaking into the store with a hammer, smashing display cases and placing jewelry into a backpack before leaving on foot. The jewelry taken was valued at about $112,490, according to police.
Arkansas man burglarized Palm Beach jewelry store, stole six figures in merchandise. During the investigation, detectives linked Banks to a taxi ride from a North Palm Beach motel to the area near the store shortly before the burglary. Surveillance footage from the motel and other evidence helped connect him to the crime, police said.
Banks was later arrested at a Super 8 Motel in North Palm Beach. During his arrest, investigators recovered jewelry that police said matched items stolen from the store. Authorities said the recovered jewelry was valued at nearly $104,000 and was identified through store inventory records and markings on the pieces.
Detectives also noted similarities between this case and another Palm Beach jewelry store burglary that occurred earlier this month. Banks was charged with burglary of a structure causing damage exceeding $1,000, grand theft over $100,000 and criminal mischief over $1,000. He was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail.
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