Plea deal in jewelry heistMILFORD, Conn. -- An accused jewel thief faces 11 years in prison under a plea deal involving charges of stealing diamond rings then swallowing the evidence just before he was arrested.
George Clovis, 34, accepted the plea agreement Monday. Police said Clovis robbed a Milford jewelry store, swallowed the evidence, led police on a high-speed chase and leaped from the roof of a West Haven motel to evade arrest last fall. The plea closes the books on the robbery at Zales Jewelry in Milford on Oct. 13, 2003 as well as the theft of a $32,600 engagement ring at Helzberg Diamonds in Farmington the same day. Police said Clovis swallowed three diamond rings after robbing Zales Jewelry in the Westfield Shoppingtown Connecticut Post mall with two other men. The incident sparked a six-hour pursuit. During the chase, the suspects crashed a car off Interstate 95, but eluded police. An anonymous tip led police to arrest one suspect around 1 a.m. Oct. 14, police said, and another anonymous tip at 2 a.m. led police to the roof of Econo Lodge in West Haven. One suspect was apprehended easily, police said, but Clovis jumped off the roof, breaking his pelvis. Clovis was arrested and taken to the hospital, where an X-ray revealed he had ingested some of the diamonds. The diamonds were later recovered after he passed them.
One co-defendant, Jemal Hudson, was offered a 12-year sentence and rejected it. The third co-defendant, Larrell Exum, pleaded guilty to charges that included first-degree robbery and is scheduled to be sentenced May 19. © Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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