Temecula Jewelry Heist Was Not 1st For Florida Man: Cops

TEMECULA, CA — A 29-year-old man accused of swiping a piece of jewelry worth $30,000 from a Temecula shop and perpetrating similar thefts while traveling across the country pleaded not guilty Wednesday to grand theft.

Jason Adam Warren of Florida was arrested last week following a Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation into the theft at a venue in the 40800 block of Winchester Road.

Warren was arraigned Wednesday before Superior Court Judge Jeff Zimel, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Sept. 13 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.

The defendant is being held without bail at the nearby Byrd Detention Center based on an out-of-state fugitive warrant.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Josh Hephner, about 10:15 a.m. Aug. 28, Warren entered the jewelry shop on Winchester and asked to see an item under a display case.

A clerk took out the item and handed it to the defendant for inspection, believing he was a prospective buyer, Hephner said.

"Once handed the item, the suspect ran out of the business without paying and fled in a white-colored sedan," the sergeant said.

He said the shop owner called 911, but patrol deputies were unable to locate the vehicle.

Detectives initiated an investigation that soon produced leads, pointing to Warren as the alleged thief, according to Hephner.

"Deputies also learned Warren was involved in several other jewelry thefts across the nation, totaling approximately $250,000 in losses, and he had warrants for his arrest," the sheriff's spokesman said.

On Friday morning, investigators tracked the defendant to a shopping center on Fletcher Parkway in El Cajon. With assistance from personnel from the Escondido and San Diego police departments, Warren was taken into custody without incident, Hephner said.

"A search of his vehicle revealed a large amount of currency and jewelry," he said.

The defendant has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.