ATLANTA — According to federal officials, a jewelry store heist in North Carolina may have been planned and carried out by an inmate in Georgia.
Prior to the heist, Deuntria Lyons allegedly spoke with and assisted the robbers, according to a criminal complaint.
Lyons committed the same act almost ten years ago, and he is presently serving six life terms.
Former prosecutor Chris Timmons told Channel 2’s Michael Doudna, “The level of sophistication here is unusual compared to what we typically see in the state of Georgia.”
A few weeks prior to the robbery, a suspect reportedly scoped out the North Carolina store.
After that, the suspect transmitted footage of the layout to an Instagram account, which Lyons was later connected to by the authorities.
The suspect and Lyons exchanged messages in which they discussed plotting several thefts.
“To be honest, this is embarrassing for the prison system in the state of Georgia. There has to be something the system can do to stop this guy from getting cell phones,” Timmons stated.
A request for comment from Georgia’s Department of Corrections was not answered.
Even though Deuntria Lyons was serving a 20-year sentence for armed robbery in 2012, investigators claim he was still the mastermind behind several other crimes.
The moment, Sgt. John Wilbanks told Channel 2 Action News, “it was almost disbelief that somebody inside prison, serving a sentence for armed robbery, is now coordinating other armed robberies.”
They claimed that because prepaid cell phones are easily accessible behind bars, Lyons carried on with his crime spree.
Detective David Brucz stated that the suspect texted him with instructions on where to meet and what to do.
In February 2011, there was a robbery at Barrons Fine Jewelry in Snellville where the perpetrators forced customers to the ground.
A month later, a group attacked Tara Fine Jewelry clients in Buford by smashing cases with hammers.
Lyons organized to have the loot fenced and pawned, according to investigators.
Lyons was wearing a smartphone watch, they claimed when they questioned him.
For the crimes, Lyons received six life sentences.
Timmons stated, “There isn’t really an incentive for somebody like this, who is serving multiple life sentences, to behave on the inside.”
According to Timmons, smuggled cell phone use in jails is not a recent problem.
As of right present, there are frequently more benefits to importing illicit phones than there are perceived concerns.
According to Timmons, federal agents are interested in the North Carolina case, and he could be sent to a higher security jail as a result of a federal complaint.
Timmons remarked, “Maybe something like Supermax in Colorado would stop this guy from doing what he is doing.”