Inmate Suspected of Cell Phone Jewelry Heist
September 23, 24(IDEX Online) - Federal agents in the US believe a prisoner using a contraband cell phone may have masterminded a heist on a jewelry store.
Deuntria Lyons was convicted in 2012 of coordinating raids on two jewelry stores, while serving a 20-year sentence for a series of armed robberies. He was sentenced to an additional six consecutive life sentences.
Detectives now suspect he was also responsible for a recent raid on a jewelry store in North Carolina.
According to a criminal complaint, Lyons helped the thieves before the robbery by sending text messages and videos of the store layout to an Instagram account. He is being held in a prison in Georgia, Atlanta.
"There has to be something the prison system can do to prevent this guy from getting cell phones, quite frankly, this is embarrassing for the prison system in the state of Georgia," former prosecutor Chris Timmons told WSB-TV Channel 2 Atlanta.