The man, Jerry Kenyatta Carter, 36, is accused of tying up three employees at Becker's Jewelry Store on Pratt Street and making off with more than $500,000 worth of jewels in May, according to police. Last week, Carter entered not guilty pleas to three counts of kidnapping and a single charge of first-degree robbery. Bond was set at $1 million, and he returns to court on Jan.
3. Carter is a suspect in a number of jewelry store heists, police say, including those in Manchester, New Haven, Orange, and Westport, according to police. Carter was charged in Enfield on Thursday with robbing a Gem Jewelry Store on Oct.
23, 2005, police said. Hartford police said Carter, wearing a black backpack, walked in to Becker's Jewelry at about 4:45 p.m.
on May 27 and said he was looking for an engagement ring for his wife. Police said the workers were helping Carter to select a ring, when he pulled a gun and directed the clerks to lock the store's front door and turn off the lights. Pointing the gun at the clerks, Carter pulled a black plastic bag from his backpack and ordered the clerks to open the jewelry cases, police said.
Carter then told the workers to put loose diamonds, solitaire rings, and diamond tennis bracelets into the bag, police said. Carter then "methodically" removed other items, including loose stones, diamonds, and heavy gold, according to police. After taking the jewelry, police said, Carter removed the videotapes from the store's electronic surveillance cameras.
And then Carter forced the workers at gunpoint to a bathroom and secured them with shackles to a railing before leaving, police said. Later that night, Hartford police said the Manchester Police Department contacted them and told them the heist sounded similar to numerous others in the state, and gave Carter's name as a possible suspect. One of the Becker's employees identified Carter from a mug shot lineup that evening, police said, telling a detective she was "95 percent positive" that he was the robber.
The other two workers also later picked Carter from photo lineups, although one employee, a woman, identified him and another man as the most similar, according to police. Avon police arrested Carter on Nov. 16 at his girlfriend's Avonwood Road home, police said.
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