Jewelry Thief Convicted

A man who robbed a Carlsbad jewelry store after sneaking inside during off-hours through holes he'd cut in the building was convicted Wednesday of two robbery charges.

John Leslie Davis, 53, will be sentenced June 16 by Vista Judge Aaron Katz. On the morning of Oct. 21, 2009, employees of on State Street were preparing to open the store when a man in a blue hooded windbreaker and Halloween mask burst in from a back room armed with a handgun and demanded merchandise.

The gunman took jewelry, fled into a women's bathroom in the business and disappeared, according to police. Investigating officers found holes cut in the bathroom ceiling and the roof of the building and concluded the robber had gotten into and out of the store that way.

Police believe Davis cut both holes prior to the robbery. The 53-year-old Oceanside resident was arrested in February 2010 after being linked to the crime through DNA.

CNS contributed to this report