5 arrested in connection to home invasion, jewelry store burglary

ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Five people have been arrested in connection to a multi-jurisdictional crime spree which police said started as a home invasion in Cobb County and ended with a business burglary at a jewelry store in Buckhead.

The Atlanta and Cobb County police announced the organized crime bust on Friday. Police arrested 38-year-old Jose Hernandez Pearson, 44-year-old Tameka Lashon Croskey, 34-year-old Gregory Andrews, 31-year-old Meisha Sims, and 29-year-old Crysell Croskey.

On Feb. 18, Atlanta Police told FOX 5 News the owner of the Icebox Jewelry store, located at 3255 Peachtree Road, and his wife were followed home by armed gunmen that morning. The gunmen, who were reportedly wearing masks, tied up the couple inside their Cobb County home and then stole the keys to the couple’s jewelry store. The store owner and his wife were not hurt during the home invasion, according to police.

RELATED: Home invasion leads to jewelry store heist in Buckhead

Police later released a surveillance photo which investigators initially took from the scene. Police said the burglars reportedly spent nearly two hours inside the store.

Friday’s arrests were made during an early morning operation serving arrest and search warrants at two locations in Atlanta. Four of the suspects were taken into custody. The fifth was already in the Fulton County Jail on unrelated charges.

During the searches, police say they recovered thousands of dollars in jewelry, more than $100,000 in cash, drugs, and guns.

All the suspects face various felony charges in Fulton County including burglary, theft, narcotics and weapons charges. In addition, charges from the Cobb County Police Department remain pending.

Police say Pearson and Croskey did not receive a bond. Andrews received a $130,000 bond for the charges of theft by receiving stolen property and second-degree criminal damage to property.

Police said they are keeping the details of the investigation and what led them to the five suspects close to the vest because of the nature of the investigation.

RELATED: Home invasion leads to jewelry store heist in Buckhead