Memphis man convicted in jewelry store heist

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- A Memphis, Tenn., man was convicted Monday in federal court of helping rob a Cape Girardeau jewelry store.

Online court records show a federal jury found Daryl House, 30, guilty of one count each of aiding and abetting the interference with commerce by threat or violence and aiding and abetting the possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

House was accused of helping three other people in the Sept. 23, 2009, robbery of the Jayson Jewelers store at 97 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau.

House and three co-defendants -- Charla Dinkins, Keyessence Fountain and Kevin Stitt, all of Tennessee -- initially faced state charges, but those charges later were dropped, and the case went to federal court.

A probable-cause affidavit filed by Sgt. Don Perry of the Cape Girardeau Police Department in the state case in May 2012 stated DNA evidence connected Stitt to the robbery.

Stitt admitted he and three other people -- a man and two women -- came from Memphis to Cape Girardeau to rob a jewelry store, Perry wrote.

Stitt said he and one of the women posed as a couple shopping for wedding rings until House came into the store, at which point Stitt handcuffed the clerk, duct-taped her eyes shut and put her in a closet, Perry wrote.

Fountain, House and Stitt took jewelry and cash from the store, and Dinkins drove them back to Memphis, according to a news release issued Monday by the U.S. attorney's office.

In September, Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court records showed Stitt identified Dinkins and House from a photo lineup police obtained from the Shelby County, Tenn., Sheriff's Department.

House's name and driver's license number appeared on a receipt from a local motel that showed he checked in before the robbery and checked out the day of the robbery, circuit court records showed in September.

Stitt pleaded guilty in December, and Dinkins and Fountain pleaded guilty earlier this year, online federal court records show.

House faces a maximum punishment of life in prison on each count, the news release from the U.S. attorney's office stated.

His sentencing is set for June 30.

Sentencing for Stitt is set for Monday, while Fountain is scheduled for sentencing May 14, and Dinkins' sentencing is set for June 9, online federal court records show.