WO resident charged with armed robbery of Chatham jewelers

CHATHAM, NJ — Raiys Grimes, 35, of West Orange was taken into custody, after turning himself in to police on Friday, Aug. 12, for his alleged role in the July 28 armed robbery of Crescent Jewelers in Chatham.

Morris County Superior Court Judge Ira Cohen set Grimes’ bail at $200,000; Grimes had already been serving probation for theft. Grimes and Michael Reed, 46, of Newark were charged with the armed robbery after a gun and some of the stolen jewelry had reportedly been discovered at Reed’s home. Reed’s bail was set at $250,000.

According to police, store owners identified Grimes and Reed as the perpetrators, stating that the two men had been in the store the day before. According to the identifying witness, the two men had entered the store the day before and had been polite as they asked questioned her about how to clean jewelry.

Grimes and Reed allegedly entered the store July 28, put a gun to the victim’s head, duct-taped her and robbed the store, allegedly taking approximately $700,000 in gold, jewelry, cash and other items.

A third suspect who allegedly drove the getaway vehicle, a silver or gray Jeep Cherokee, is still at large.