Man charged with armed robbery, stealing jewelry worth $21K in Nanaimo

A Vancouver Island man is facing multiple charges after a pair of robberies in Nanaimo — one of which was committed at gunpoint.

Nanaimo RCMP said Friday the suspect is accused of entering the Best Buy Liquor Store on Jingle Pot Road on June 5 and pointing a firearm at the clerk.

The suspect, who had his face covered, stole money from the till and fled the store without being apprehended by officers who attended the scene.

Police said the same suspect also stole four rings with a combined value of roughly $21,000 from Mappins Jewellers in the Woodgrove Centre on North Island Highway around 5 p.m. on April 10.

In May, RCMP released pictures of the suspect caught by surveillance video in the hopes the public would help identify him.

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Police at the time said the man entered the store and asked to look at a number of rings. He then handled them for several minutes before suddenly bolting out the door.

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On June 13, police arrested 39-year-old Dustin Sean Williams at his residence in Ladysmith in connection to both crimes.

WATCH: (Aired Nov. 3, 2015) Masked men wanted in armed robbery at Vancouver restaurant

A search warrant was conducted at Williams’ home after his arrest, where investigators “found evidence which furthered their investigation,” police said in a news release.

One of the four rings was also recovered, and the search for the other three is continuing.

Williams appeared in court on June 17 and was charged with one count each of robbery with a firearm, pointing a firearm at an individual, and disguising his face with intent to commit an offence in connection to the June 5 robbery.

He was also charged with theft over $5,000 in connection to the April 10 incident.

Williams remains in custody and is due back in court on June 25 in Nanaimo.

—With files from Simon Little