Suspect in Don’s Jewelry robbery apprehended

A Chicago man has been arrested in connection with the robbery of Don's Jewerly Store.

According to a news release from the Washington Police Department, Michael Darrell Wright was arrested on Thursday, Nov. 1, in Clinton, Ill., on a charge of second-degree theft. Washington Police officers interviewed him Friday, Nov. 2. Extradition is pending.

A 'snatch and grab” robbery was reported at Don's Jewelry Store, 116 S. Iowa Ave., on April 5, 2017. A news release from the Washington County Communications center reported a male subject entered the jewelry store and inquired about certain items. The subject then reportedly took the items and fled the store.

'A client came in about 10:35 a.m. and asked to see engagement rings,” Don Brown, owner of Don's Jewelry, said during an interview after the incident. 'We were in the process of him picking out a selection, and about 10 or 15 minutes later he just grabbed and ran. He grabbed them and out the door he went. We could see he went around the corner and went through an alley and that's when we got the police involved.”

Brown said no weapons were displayed and no threats were made. He said the event wasn't scary, but it caught him off guard. He said nothing had led the workers inside the store to believe anything was wrong until the subject left. He said three engagement rings were taken and the subject had dropped two, which the store recovered.

During the investigation photographs of the subject along with evidence left at the scene pointed to Wright as a suspect. A warrant for his arrest was issued Aug. 23.