FREEHOLD – On July 12, a Mon-mouth County Grand Jury returned a seven-count indictment charging three Philadelphia men with various crimes related to the Aug. 26, 2005, armed robbery of Ballew Jewelers, West Main Street.
According to a press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, the three men, Robert Ward, 28, Eric Lane, 36, and Marion Pegese, 33, were all charged with the following counts: conspiracy to commit armed robbery (second degree); armed robbery (first degree); unlawful possession of a weapon – a firearm (third degree); possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose (second degree); and kidnapping (first degree).
Lane and Pegese were also charged with one count each of certain persons not to have weapons (second degree).
The counts of the indictment relate to the events of Aug. 26, 2005. According to the prosecutor, at about 3:35 p.m., the listed defendants and a fourth man entered Ballew Jewelers and robbed the store while armed with a firearm. The incident began when one of the men posed as a customer and the others came in several minutes later.
During the course of the crime, the employees were secured and restrained with duct tape and brought to the basement at gunpoint. One of the employees was forced to open the locks on jewelry cases to facilitate the theft of valuables by the men. The four men remained in the store for about 10 minutes, during which time the suspects stole more than 300 items of jewelry including, but not limited to, diamond jewelry such as necklaces, bracelets, engagement rings, wedding bands and earrings, estate jewelry, Rolex watches and cash. The jewelry was secured in two different duffel bags and carried out of the store. The value of the items stolen was estimated to be in excess of $1 million.
According to the prosecutor, the four men exited Ballew Jewelers from a rear door leading to a small parking area while the employees remained secured in the basement. The store employees subsequently freed themselves and returned to the main floor of the store. After verifying that the suspects had left the store, the employees notified the police.
The crime sparked a multi-state, multi-agency manhunt for the perpetrators which included the participation of the Monmouth County Pros-ecutor’s Office, the Freehold Borough Police Department, the Philadelphia, Pa., Police Department, the FBI, the U.S. Marshal’s Service and other law enforcement agencies. The men were identified within 45 days of the crime and warrants for their arrest were issued in October 2005.
According to the prosecutor’s office, search warrants were obtained for their homes and searches of those residences were conducted with the aid of detectives, uniformed police officers and SWAT team members of the Philadelphia Police Department.
Despite these efforts, the men were not located then or in the days thereafter. With the assistance of the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, federal warrants listing these men as fugitives from justice were issued in an effort to focus more attention on them in order to facilitate their apprehension.
In November 2005, Lane was arrested on unrelated charges by Philadelphia police. He has since been extradited to New Jersey and is in the Monmouth County jail, Freehold Township, in lieu of bail. Ward was arrested by Philadelphia police on unrelated charges in March. The extradition process is completed but his transfer to New Jersey to face these charges is pending resolution of the charges there, according to the prosecutor.
Pegese evaded arrest until May 20. He was the subject of a segment on the television show “America’s Most Wanted.” Members of the FBI arrested him on the Monmouth County charges in the home of a family member in Philadelphia. Pegese has since waived extradition to New Jersey and is currently in the Monmouth County jail in lieu of bail.
The bail of all three men has been set at $260,000, cash only, by state Superior Court Judge Paul F. Chaiet.
The fourth man who participated in the robbery at Ballew Jewelers has yet to be positively identified, according to the prosecutor. The investigation into his identity is ongoing. Any individual with information regarding this armed robbery or the identity of the fourth man is asked to contact Detective Michael George of the Freehold Borough Police Department at (732) 462-1234 or Detec-tive Michael Magliozzo of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at (800) 533-7443.
Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin said, “Substantial investigative efforts were undertaken to apprehend the men involved in this major armed robbery case.”
Valentin credited the work of detectives from the Major Crimes and Foren-sic and Technical Services Unit of the prosecutor’s office as well as the Freehold Borough Police Department. Valentin also acknowledged the assistance of federal authorities and members of the Philadelphia Police Department for their support, cooperation and assistance throughout the investigation.
He said, ” … while we are pleased that these three men have begun the process for justice in court, we will not be satisfied until the fourth man is positively identified and also brought to justice.”
The maximum sentence for the conspiracy charge is 10 years in prison. The unlawful possession of a weapon charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose charge has a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The certain persons not to have weapons counts carry a 10-year maximum sentence. The armed robbery count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Kidnapping has a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
The case is assigned to Assistant Prosecutor Richard E. Incremona.