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[h=4]2 charged in string of jewelry store robberies[/h]Abigail Lee Kemp, 24, is accused of conspiring with others to rob stores in five states.
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Accused jewel thief in federal court WXIA
Abigail Lee Kemp, 24, is escorted Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in Atlanta. Kemp had her first court appearance after her arrest Friday, Jan. 8, 2016, on charges stemming from jewelry store robberies in five states.(Photo: WXIA-TV, Atlanta)
ATLANTA — A Georgia woman accused of several jewelry store robberies in five states across the South wept as she left a federal courtroom Monday during her first appearance before a judge.
Abigail Lee Kemp, 24, of Smyrna, Ga., was arrested along with another suspect Friday in Smyrna.
A criminal complaint accuses Kemp of conspiring with others to rob stores<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in Florida,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
She is accused of holding store workers at gunpoint, in some cases tying them up before taking items from the display cases.
Kemp wore a red fleece jacket, blue jeans and riding boots for her court appearance. She appeared to be calm while speaking to the judge, telling the judge she could not afford her own attorney. She was assigned a public defender.
As a U.S. Marshal put her in handcuffs, she broke into tears.
USA TODAY
Female jewelry store robbery suspect sought in 5 states
The person Kemp was arrested with<span style="color: Red;">*</span>— Lewis Jones, 35<span style="color: Red;">*</span>— was charged Monday.
Two separate criminal complaints filed in the northern district of Florida charge Kemp and Jones with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by threats or violence.
An FBI statement said<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Jones is in custody in greater Atlanta's DeKalb County on charges related to an August 2014 bank robbery there. The FBI said<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Jones is also a suspect in a September 2014 bank robbery in Smyrna. Federal court records do not indicate whether Jones has a lawyer.
During the six robberies, the FBI said Kemp never wore a disguise.
Kemp told agents that in the beginning she would go into a jewelry store with an open cellphone line so Jones, whom she called "Lou," could hear her interaction with store employees, the FBI agent's statement said. Jones then came into the store, tied employees up and removed merchandise from the store's case, Kemp told agents.
In later robberies, Kemp told agents Jones would remain outside the stores as a lookout while she went inside and the two would communicate by cellphone, the agent's statement says.
Kemp told agents Jones was on the phone with her during all the robberies in which she went inside alone.
A key break in the case came from one phone number with a north Georgia area code, court records show. An analysis of cell tower data found that the number showed up at or near jewelry stories in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina while the businesses were being robbed, authorities said.
Her arrest came amid an investigation of jewelry store robberies in Mebane, N.C.; Sevierville, Tenn.; Bluffton, S.C.; Panama City Beach, Fla.; and Dawsonville and Woodstock, Ga., FBI spokeswoman Amanda Warford Videll confirmed to The Associated Press via email.
The jewelry store holdups in Tennessee and North Carolina each netted more than $900,000, and a total of at least $2.2 million was taken in the string of crimes, court records show.
According to a spokesperson with the U.S. Department of Justice, punishment for the alleged crimes carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Court records reveal the FBI was able to zero in on Kemp after analyzing records from cellphone towers near the robberies, then checking social media and hearing from suspicious friends.
According to the FBI, Kemp was arrested after "a number of citizens" contacted police with tips after the surveillance video and photos were released.
"Within hours of issuing a press release this week requesting assistance in identifying the suspects, the FBI Jacksonville Division began to receive numerous credible leads from the public," the FBI said in a news release.
People who knew her said they noticed she was wearing new, expensive jewelry "that some of the callers believe she cannot afford." They also said Kemp has a handgun and recently had her car painted black.
Kemp is due back in court Thursday for a hearing to decide the conditions of her detention.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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