Police hunt for jewelry thief who used stolen truck to plow through JCPenney in Citrus Heights

Citrus Heights police are searching for a burglar who rammed a pickup truck Sunday through the front doors of the JCPenney store at Sunrise Mall and made off with an undisclosed amount of jewelry.

Security guards summoned officers to the mall about 7:45 a.m., who learned of the break-in on the 6100 block of Sunrise Boulevard but failed to find anyone inside, according to a news release from Citrus Heights police.

Investigators learned a man “used a Chevrolet Silverado to drive through the entrance doors to the store,” police said. “The suspect then drove through the business to the jewelry section, where the suspect stole an unknown amount of jewelry.”

The suspect returned to the truck and drove out of the store. On a tip from Roseville police, authorities learned the vehicle used in the robbery had been stolen from the Roseville Auto Mall and recovered it outside Citrus Heights.

Police have not given a description of the burglar and are asking for the public’s help in identifying the man’s whereabouts.

This is the second time in less than a month the department store’s jewelry department has been plundered. According to the Citrus Heights Sentinel, police arrested a 34-year-old man Nov. 19 after he allegedly broke into the store that morning, shattered several display cases and ran off on foot with “over $91,000” in goods. Police caught up with him holding a large suitcase containing the stolen merchandise.

Gregory Lane Billman, of Auburn, was arraigned in connection with the burglary and was accused of being in possession of burglary tools at the time of his arrest. He was arraigned two days later and was released from custody, according to Sacramento County Main Jail records. He’s expected to return to court Dec. 30.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Police Department’s Crime Tip hotline at 916-727-5524, or leave an anonymous tip with Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-4357. Authorities said any information leading to an arrest would be eligible for a cash reward.