Suspect charged in January Arlington Heights jewelry store armed robbery
Arlington Heights police Thursday detained a suspect in the smash-and-grab armed robbery of a downtown jewelry store last January.
Cornell E. Martinez, 27, of the 3500 block of South Rhodes in Chicago, was charged Friday with one felony count of armed robbery stemming from the Jan. 25 incident at Persin & Robbin Jewelers, 24 S. Dunton Ave. He was taken into custody outside his apartment building without incident at 4 p.m. Thursday, police said.
A judge denied pretrial release during an initial hearing Friday morning.
Police said they conducted a comprehensive investigation in which significant leads developed sufficient evidence to identify at least one suspect.
In January, authorities said three people entered the store and stole merchandise, then fled in a black 2021 Honda Accord sedan with Florida license plates.
"Evidence shows co-conspirators were involved in this crime and the case continues to be actively investigated by the Arlington Heights Police Department," officials said in a news release Friday.
Police said the masked suspects entered the store at 1:25 p.m. that day, were armed with impact weapons, smashed multiple jewelry showcases, and stole several high-end pieces of jewelry. They left the immediate area, but the vehicle later was found unoccupied a couple blocks away.