Man Pleads Guilty to Robbing Lawrence Jewelry Store

Lawrence Township detectives were originally scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Trenton today to possibly present testimony concerning their investigation into the , but the court date was cancelled after one of the three men alleged to have committed the crime pleaded guilty.

The store, located in the 1100 block of Lawrence Road (Route 206), near the corner of Lawn Park Avenue, was robbed about 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 22 by a young man who, police have said, displayed a handgun. The gunman was accompanied by another man who acted as a lookout and, after being given an undisclosed amount of money by an employee, the two fled in a vehicle driven by a third man.

According to Casey DeBlasio, spokeswoman for the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, one of the robbers – Daniel H. Parra of Copperfield Drive, Hamilton Township – pleaded guilty to first-degree armed robbery on Dec. 1.

Under the terms of a plea agreement, Parra is expected to be sent to state prison for 11 years when he is sentenced next year on March 22, DeBlasio said, noting that Parra will be required to serve 85 percent of the sentence before he becomes eligible for parole.

Parra, who was 32 years old at the time of his arrest on Feb. 28, less than a week after the holdup, was originally charged with multiple offenses including robbery, theft, unlawful possession a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in connection, and using a juvenile to commit a criminal offense.

DeBlasio said a grand jury indicted Parra and his two alleged accomplices, Jean. L. Leontus and Cole Jackson, on July 21.

Leontus, a resident of Brafman Drive in Hamilton Township who was 26 years old when he was arrested on March 2, is scheduled to appear in court for a status conference next month, while Jackson is scheduled to appear in court for a similar status conference in February 2012, she said.

Jackson, alleged by authorities to have acted as the gunman, was 17 years old at the time of the holdup. As a juvenile, his identity was withheld by authorities when he was arrested on Feb. 22, just hours after the crime took place. He is now 18 years old and, after being waived up by the courts, will face trial as an adult, according to DeBlasio.

Following their arrests, Jackson was charged with aggravated assault, robbery, theft, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, while Leontus was charged with robbery and theft.

Previous Coverage:

Feb. 22, 2011:

Feb. 23, 2011:

March 11, 2011: