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Phoenix, AZ--Three men have been arrested for a series of jewelry store burglaries across the Phoenix area, according to a report by FOX 10 Phoenix. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) identified the suspects as Gerard Segers, 63, Alexander Townsend, 62, and Eric Waller, 57. They face burglary and theft charges.

[Image via iStock.com/Daniel Tamas Mehes]

On August 14, two masked suspects broke into a jewelry store near R. H. Johnson Boulevard and Camino Del Sol in Sun City. According to MCSO, they smashed display cases with a hammer and filled a red bag with jewelry before fleeing. DNA evidence from the scene identified Segers, and traffic cameras showed his Dodge Ram pickup near the store minutes before the burglary.

On September 6, detectives reviewed surveillance footage from another break-in at Litchfield Fine Jewelers near Camelback and Dysart Roads. Fingerprint evidence again matched Segers. Investigators tracked a black Volkswagen EOS linked to the crimes and later used GPS data to place the vehicle at a third burglary on September 24 near 7th Street and Greenway Parkway in Phoenix.

A search warrant at a Phoenix residence led to the recovery of stolen jewelry, burglary tools, clothing seen in surveillance footage, and DNA evidence connecting all three suspects, the report stated.

John Mora, owner of Gold and Gems Unique in Sun City West, said his family store was one of the targets. He told FOX 10 that the burglars broke through the front door and glass cases around 3 a.m. “They busted through the front door, the front glass, and they came around and smashed all three cases,” Mora said.

Mora added that blood left behind during the break-in helped investigators identify the suspects. “They were rushing fast… and in the process, they cut themselves, and that’s all we needed,” he said.

Learn more in this report by Fox 10.