A Detroit man charged with robbing a Pennsylvania jewelry store is suspected of taking part in what police believe was a failed bid to steal gems from a Boardman jeweler.

A Federal Grand Jury in Pittsburgh has indicted 37-year-old Willie James Harvey on charges of robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery.

Investigators say Harvey robbed the Kay Jewelers store in Washington County on November 13, 2019, and conspired to rob a jewelry store in Boardman the day before.

Boardman Police Detective William Woods tells 21 News he believes Harvey was one of two masked men who tried to enter the Jared Galleria of Jewelry on November 12, 2019.

Store employees were inside the store, but the two men were forced to drive away empty-handed because the exterior doors had already been locked.

Detective Woods says the two men arrived at the store at the same time someone called in a report of shots fired near the Lowe’s store on the other side of the township.  Woods says it was unusual that police only received one report of the shots, and believes the suspects made the call to distract police from Jared’s.

Woods says that such jewelry store robberies typically involve suspects who first conduct surveillance, then come back later, smashing display cases and taking diamonds that are sold on the black market in cities such as Philadelphia.

Police posted images of the men from Jared’s surveillance cameras at the time of the incident, hoping to identify the suspects. 

Woods says that since Jared was not actually robbed, charges will not be filed against Harvey.

Harvey, who is jailed in Florida for a separate offense, could face fines of $500,000 and a sentence of up to 40 years in prison if convicted.

 

Willie Harvey
Willie Harvey