La Jolla Holdup Accomplice Tells of Planning by Gang

A female accomplice to the Mother’s Day jewelry store robbery in La Jolla that resulted in the shooting death of a customer testified Thursday that a seven-member gang planned, prepared and subsequently covered up the heist.

Jenifer Arce, 22, outlined the gang’s behavior during a preliminary hearing for Alton Pierce, the alleged mastermind who is charged with murder, conspiracy and four counts of robbery.

Arce testified that she and Pierce waited outside the J. Jessop & Sons and C.J. Charles jewelry stores on Prospect Avenue while five others committed the daring daylight robberies. Both stores are on the same block.

During the Jessup’s robbery, Tierrasanta resident Brian Sullivan, 34, was shot in the head. He died in the hospital several days later.

Arce’s testimony came after entering into a plea bargain with prosecutors that saw her plead guilty last month behind closed doors to being an accessory. Deputy Dist. Atty. Peter Cross said that as a result of the agreement she likely will not serve any additional jail time. She was to be released from jail Thursday night, he said.

Prosecutors dropped murder charges against Arce as part of the deal.

Arce was scheduled to be sentenced today, but Cross said this will be delayed until all of the other cases stemming from the robberies have been resolved.

A third accomplice, Michael Wayne Lacy, 21, pleaded not guilty Thursday in Municipal Court to charges of murder, four counts of robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. Lacy is being held on $1 million bail. A preliminary hearing in his case is set for Feb. 1.

Cross said there are four remaining suspects, including the man suspected of actually shooting Sullivan. While Cross said two of the men are unknown to police, court documents show that arrest warrants have been issued against three men--James Taylor, Darnell Jones and Ronald Winston.

Pierce, 29, of Bakersfield, came to San Diego May 6, where he met his part-time girlfriend Arce. The pair rented a motel room in Mission Beach where they planned the robberies, she said. The following day, Arce said she and Pierce went to La Jolla to visit jewelry stores. Afterward, he told her he wanted to come back and rob Jessop and C.J. Charles, Arce said.

The pair drove to Los Angeles May 8 to pick up the others and the day before the robbery, May 9, the group returned to La Jolla, “I guess to case out the jewelry stores,” Arce said.

Following the robberies, Pierce collected two pillowcases containing jewelry taken from the stores from the other men, she said. He also told her that night that someone had been shot during the robbery.

“He said someone was shot,” Arce recalled. “He made kind of like a comment that these kinds of things happen.”

Because of the shooting, Arce said, Pierce wanted to dispose of the gun. They put it in a plastic bag and then inside one of the pillowcases and discarded it in a trash bin in Ocean Beach, she testified.

Pierce bought bus tickets back to Los Angeles for four of the robbers, Arce said, because “he felt it wasn’t such a good idea for so many black guys to go in one car back to L.A.”

The preliminary hearing is expected to continue through Tuesday, when Municipal Judge David J. Danielson will rule on whether there is enough evidence to order Pierce to stand trial.