Affidavit: Boulder's The Little Jewel robbery part of greater 'organized retail crime ring'

Mar. 13—A man suspected of robbing The Little Jewel store in Boulder with three others has been arrested and may be connected to several other retail robberies across the Front Range.

Franderson Gutierrez-Gutierrez, 21, is charged with robbery — crimes against an at-risk person; theft from $100,000 to $1,000,000; and second-degree kidnapping.

He is currently in custody at Boulder County Jail and is set for a preliminary hearing on April 4. He is currently on a $100,000 bond. A booking photo was not immediately available.

According to the affidavit, at 1:23 p.m. Feb. 6 police were called to The Little Jewel, 1225 Pearl St., on a robbery. Police said a 78-year-old woman was working alone when a Hispanic man entered the store and asked to see a gold ring before asking to see gold chains.

Three other men entered the store, one stood by the door while another grabbed the woman forcefully and placed his hand over her mouth, according to the affidavit. While investigating, police reviewed video surveillance which showed a man placing his hand around the woman's neck, then her mouth before putting her in a headlock and indicating that he had a gun. During the physical restraint, two men, including Gutierrez-Gutierrez, loaded a black bag with jewelry from multiple display cases, according to the affidavit.

The store owner estimated $230,000 worth of jewelry was stolen.

During their investigation, police retrieved fingerprints from the jewelry case that Gutierrez-Gutierrez is suspected of touching in the video surveillance. The fingerprints were verified as Gutierrez-Gutierrez's by a certified examiner at the Broomfield Police Department.

Boulder police were later contacted by a Denver police who said the robbery matched a pattern of crimes by an "organized retail crime group" being investigated by the Denver Police Department. Boulder police found that suspects in The Little Jewel robbery matched suspects in the Denver robberies. Gutierrez-Gutierrez is suspected of being involved in a Jan. 26 theft at a JCPenney at 8568 E. Northfield Blvd.; a Sunglass Hut and Jewelry store "grab-and-run"; a armed robbery on Dec. 21 at Marley Liquor Store at 7740 E. Colfax Ave.; and a jewelry theft on Jan. 12 at Zales Jewelry at 3100 E. First Ave.

The woman in the Little Jewel robbery recalled a Feb. 2 note left by the store owner that said "five Spanish men" asked about gold chains and were acting suspiciously. On Feb. 5 the store received multiple calls from a "Spanish male" who also asked about gold chains.

On. Feb. 2, Gutierrez-Gutierrez was seen in a different jewelry store on Canyon Boulevard wearing the same clothes seen in the footage from The Little Jewel robbery. According to the affidavit, on Feb. 23, two other suspects of the crime ring entered the Classic Facets store at 942 Pearl St., John Atencio store on 1048 Pearl St. and J Albrecht Designs at 951 Pearl St.

According to the affidavit, the group is responsible for 20 "grab-and-run" thefts from various retail stores starting Nov. 1 between Castle Rock and Fort Collins. The group is suspected of stealing "high-dollar name-brand" jewelry and accessories with a value of over $250,000.

Boulder police declined to provide more information on other suspect's arrests due to the ongoing investigation.