17-year-old named as sixth blue jean bandit


The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/15/08

The Dawson County Sheriff's Office on Saturday identified a 17-year-old Atlantan as the sixth suspect apprehended after a smash-and-grab burglary attempt at a North Georgia outlet mall.

Demarcus Marcus Smith's name initially was withheld because he claimed to be a juvenile. Lt. Tony Wooten of the Dawson Sheriff's Office said further investigation found that to be false.

Smith and three others are being held without bond, and a fifth man is jailed on a $20,000 bond. A 26-year-old woman also charged in the robbery was released on bond Thursday.

The accused "blue jean" bandits —- so named after smash-and-grab burglaries in metro Atlanta in which designer jeans were taken —- were captured Tuesday after they drove a silver van up to a Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th store at the North Georgia Premium Outlets and smashed the glass, police said.

They sped away when they spotted a security guard watching. Sheriff's deputies chased them into neighboring Forsyth County and used a "stop stick," a spiked strip, to puncture the tires of their van to stop it.

Smith was believed to be the driver of the vehicle, a stolen 2000 Dodge Caravan, police said. The charges against him include burglary, conspiracy to commit theft, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and giving police a false name.

The Off 5th store lost $20,000 in designer jeans in a similar smash-and-grab heist at the store three weeks earlier, Wooten said.

Vote for this story!