MATTHEWS, N.C. — Police identified the suspect accused of stealing more than $50,000 worth of jewelry from the Kohl's store on Independence Boulevard last year.
Matthews police were called to Kohl's a little after 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 26, 2022, when a man entered the store, pulled a hammer out of his shirt and smashed a jewelry displace case and stole several items. The suspect got away with approximately $51,000 worth of jewelry, according to Matthews investigators.
On Wednesday, Matthews police said it obtained warrants for the arrest of Logan Michael Guffie, 34, of Iron Station, for felony larceny and damage to property.
"He looks very familiar," Officer Tim Aycock with the Matthews Police Department said. "The disguise and the mask are all there. We are in talks with Gastonia detectives and they're working their info on the other end."
Guffie was last seen in a silver, 2011 BMW sedan with Pennsylvania license plate LVG-9701.
"The concern is that anytime a crime happens and the suspect amps it up like that or escalates it and assaults someone, that's very concerning and we need to get that person off the streets," Aycock said.
The Matthews smash and grab is identical to another jewelry theft at the Kohl's in Gastonia on Jan. 17. In that incident, a suspect entered the store and pepper-sprayed a store employee before stealing approximately $80,000 worth of jewelry. No arrest has been made in that case.
Right now, both departments are sharing information to see if either case is connected despite the similar characteristics.
Contact Matthews Police at 704-847-5555 with any information pertaining to this case.
Editor's Note: This story originally said the incident in Matthews happened in January of 2023, not January 2022. The error has been corrected.
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