Abigail Lee Kemp’s alleged five-state crime spree came to an end Friday after the Federal Bureau of Investigation identified her through a combination of technology and traditional police work: analyzing cell phone records and video surveillance, monitoring social media, and following up on calls from a few suspicious friends. Her arrest comes amid an investigation of jewelry store robberies a year ago in Sevierville, Tennessee; Bluffton, South Carolina; Panama City Beach, Florida; and Dawsonville and Woodstock in Georgia, FBI spokeswoman Amanda Warford Videll confirmed to The Associated Press via email.
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Kemp attended Hillgrove during her senior year with Brittani Odum, a 23-year-old Austell resident, who also said she wasn’t surprised.
The second pistol, which was Kemp’s, was found on a counter in the kitchen area, Borghini said.
Inside the courtroom, the 24-year-old broke down in tears as she was handcuffed.
Channel 2’s Audrey Washington was there as authorities took Abby Kemp to the federal courthouse.
Meanwhile, the newspaper also reported that Kemp mysteriously left one high school and suddenly began attending Hillgrove High School in Powder Springs, Ga., where she was a basketball and softball player, according to a friend. Jones is said to also be wanted in connection with two armed bank robberies committed last summer in DeKalb County, Georgia.
Kemp looked unhappy while undertaking her perp walk into court Monday, and is said to have wept in front of the judge, which is all understandable and should be a reminder that jewel theft is probably a lot more trouble than it looks. Court records do not indicate whether Jones has a lawyer.
The female suspect seen in surveillance video from several of the robberies was armed with a handgun, ordered store employees into a back room, made them lie face-down and zip-tied their hands, court records state.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Kemp was also an aspiring model who waitressed for a while at a local bar and at Hooters.
The last heist according to FBI investigators involved the woman holding up store employees at gunpoint, zip-tying their hands before robbing the store.
Kemp will remain in custody pending a bond hearing scheduled for Thursday. The two are accused of robbing jewelry stores in Georgia, Florida and Tennesee.
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The FBI says Abigail Kemp can be seen here during the robbery of REEDS Jewelers in Pier Park in Panama City Beach, Florida, on August 11, 2015.
