Clovis police: Man arrested for Amarillo JC Penney burglary connected to Clovis mall burglaries

CLOVIS, N.M. (KFDA) - Clovis police say a man arrested for the Tuesday burglary of JC Penney in Amarillo also has a warrant for multiple mall store burglaries in Clovis.

Officials say on August 30, there was an attempted breaking and entering reported to Diamonds Evermore, 1407 N. Main.

On August 31, a burglary was reported to the JC Penney store at the North Plains Mall, 2809 N. Prince.

Another burglary was also reported to the Zales jewelry store inside the North Plains mall Sept. 4.

Due to the spike in criminal activity at the mall, the Clovis Police Department increased their police patrols around the mall.

Officials say in the early hours of Sept. 8, an officer patrolling the mall found a broken window. Additional officers responded and searched the mall and discovered a suspect burglarized the Keepsake jewelry store inside.

The incidents were assigned to the Clovis Police Department Detective Division for further investigation.

During the course of these investigations, officials say they learned 25-year-old Junayd Howard of Clovis was arrested by Amarillo police on Sept. 12 for similar circumstances.

Officials say through combined efforts between Clovis police and Amarillo police, detectives learned Howard had been selling jewelry since the first burglary in Clovis to pawn shops in Lubbock, Dallas and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Investigators were able to match items stolen from the Clovis burglaries to items pawned. Based on this information, investigators were able to obtain a search warrant for Howard’s Clovis home. During the search, officials say they found items believed to be stolen from the Clovis burglaries.

A warrant was issued for Howard’s arrest for six counts of commercial burglary, three counts of larceny over $20,000, six counts of criminal damage over $1,000, one count of attempted breaking and entering, and one count of criminal damage under $1,000.

The Potter County Sheriff’s Office was contacted and Howard is being held on the warrant.