Sheriff’s Deputy Arrested in Jewel Store Robbery
LAKE FOREST — A Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy has been arrested on suspicion of robbing a jewelry store at gunpoint and escaping with $90,000 worth of diamonds and diamond bracelets, authorities said Friday.
A black cowboy hat left by the robber in the Jewel Garden led to the arrest of Timothy Sladeck, 28, of Foothill Ranch about three hours later.
Sladeck faces possible charges of armed robbery and illegal drug possession, authorities said. He has been relieved of his duties as a bailiff at a Los Angeles courthouse, said Deputy Angie Prewett, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
“He is on paid leave until he is formally charged,†Prewett said. “That’s all we’re saying at this point.â€
Sladeck, a competitive body builder and seven-year veteran with the Sheriff’s Department, is suspected of entering Jewel Garden in the 23800 block of El Toro Road about 3 p.m. Thursday and robbing employees at gunpoint, Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Ron Wilkerson said.
“As he fled on foot, he lost a cowboy hat, which was later recovered by deputies,†Wilkerson said. “It was fairly new, so they took that hat into some South County retailers, and one of those retailers identified the hat as having been from his shop.â€
Investigators traced the purchase to Sladeck and obtained a search warrant for his rented house, where they found a handgun believed to have been used in the holdup and “hundreds of bottles of illegal steroid pills as well as liquid steroids and syringes,†Wilkerson said. No jewelry has been recovered, investigators said.
A witness at the jewelry store identified Sladeck as the robber, Wilkerson said.
Sladeck is being held at the Orange County Jail in lieu of $250,000.
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