Police: Probationer Steals $9,400 Watch in Westminister Robbery, Tries to Pawn

A man was behind bars Tuesday on suspicion of stealing an expensive watch from a Westminster jewelry store and trying to sell it several days later.

Travis John Lambright, 32, of Newport Beach was being held without bail. His arrest Monday on suspicion of robbery came nearly two weeks after he admitted a felony drug possession charge and was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to participate in a drug program.

Lambright allegedly tried to sell the stolen Omega watch, valued at $9,400, at a store in Tustin about 3 p.m. Monday. Westminster police Officer Alan Aoki said a store employee who had read a news story about the Friday robbery thought there could be a connection and called police.

The robbery at the Tick Tock watch and jewelry store in the Asian Garden Mall at 9200 Bolsa Ave. occurred about 4 p.m. Friday, said Westminster police Sgt. Cameron Knauerhaze.

The suspect asked to see a high-end watch and fled with it, prompting the owner to chase after him, Knauerhaze said. The business owner fired several rounds during the chase, but nobody was hit, authorities said.

The store's owner thwarted a takeover-style robbery on July 30, 2012, when he shot one of two suspects in the head. That suspected robber survived the shooting, Aoki said.

– City News Service.