Pair Charged in Connection with Jewelry Thefts

NEWS RELEASE 17-222 - OCTOBER 11, 2017
Jewell, Blake      Guerrero-Mata, Yestel

                                                                                                                        Jewell                                                                                       Guerrero-Mata

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office arrested two men Tuesday morning in connection with two jewelry thefts that occurred in late September.

The investigation began on September 29 when detectives responded to the Macy’s at University Town Center in Sarasota for reports of a jewelry theft. The employee told detectives he was assisting the suspect who asked to hold a bracelet valued at $5,500. When the employee handed it to him, the suspect took the bracelet and fled the store. Through surveillance video, detectives identified the suspect as Blake Jewell, DOB 11/17/96. On Tuesday morning, Jewell was arrested on an unrelated charge and subsequently connected to the theft on September 29. During interviews, detectives discovered that Yestel Guerrero-Mata, DOB 10/22/98, was also involved with the crime. Through investigation, Guerrero-Mata was additionally connected to a similar theft at a watch store in the 4100 block of South Tamiami Trail in Sarasota, on September 25.

Both men are charged with one count of Grand Theft. Guerrero-Mata is also charged with Accessory After the Fact and is being held on $7,500 bond. Jewell faces four counts of Violation of Probation and is being held without bond. The investigation is going and additional charges are pending.