Police Probe Link Between Jewelry Store Burglary, Others in Region

Investigators are probing the connection between a jewelry store break-in last December in Beverly and several other break-ins across the North Shore and New Hampshire seacoast.

Portsmouth police in New Hampshire said Thursday they are working closely with several Massachusetts police departments after they learned a burglar who robbed a Deer Street jewelry store there twice in two weeks may be linked to eight other cases in the Bay State.

WMUR-TV reported on Thursday that Portsmouth Police are actively looking at several jewelry store burglaries that have occurred in that state this month to determine if it is the same suspect.

In Beverly, the break-in at Desjardins Jewelry on Enon Street happened days before Christmas.

Police spokesman Dave Costa said officers responded for an alarm at approximately 5:27 a.m. Sunday and found the front glass door smashed.

Costa said it is believed that the suspect broke the front glass door by throwing a barbell weight through it. 

"He then entered and went straight towards the high priced jewelry, bypassing other things that were out in the open," Costa said. "He was in and out within approximately 30 seconds."

A similar incident happened in Danvers on Nov. 29 at Carter's Diamonds and Fine Jewelry on Route 114, said Danvers Police Sgt. Robert Bettencourt.

Bettencourt said that the thief or thieves smashed the front door and some charms were stolen. He did not have the total value of the stolen items.

Peabody Police reported that a burglary suspect used a 30-pound dumbbell to break into Long's Jewelry store on Feb. 1., according to Peabody Patch.

Just days after the male burglary suspect robbed the Chrisrial and Co. Jewelers store on Deer Street in Portsmouth on Feb. 22, Andover police say a similar burglary suspect broke into the Nazarian Jewelers in that community on Feb. 26.

Andover police said the suspect smashed the glass of the front door and some display cases before he made off with an unspecified amount of jewelry, which is very similar to the way the Portsmouth burglary suspect robbed the Deer Street store.

Just one day before the Andover jewelry store burglary happened, Swampscott police reported a similar crime on Monday, Feb. 25. Police in that community say the burglary suspect used a sledge hammer that he left behind to break the glass of the front door and then eight display cases before he made off with 50 jewelry items valued at $8,500.

In Portsmouth, police say the Chrisrial and Co. Jewelers was robbed on Feb. 7 and Feb. 21. The burglary suspect used a 30-pound dumbbell on Feb. 7 to smash his way into the store before stealing more than $20,000 worth of merchandise. Police say the burglary suspect then used a sledge hammer to break into the store again on Feb. 22.

Portsmouth Police are asking anyone who may recognize either the dumbbell or the suspect, or who may have information that may lead to his identity to call Det. Tim Cashman at 603-610-7587. Anyone who recognizes the suspect or has information about the Danvers break-in or the burglaries on the North Shore can contact Danvers police at 978-774-1212.