A man charged in connection to the Ames Silversmithing jewelry robbery is currently being held in a Whiteside County, Ill., jail following his arrest on Thursday.

Eric Martin, 25, was found and arrested last week at an apartment building in Sterling, Ill., after an arrest warrant was issued by the Ames Police Department on April 4, said Ames Police Cmdr. Jim Robinson.

Martin has been charged with the first-degree theft of diamonds and other precious gems from Ames Silversmithing, 220 Main St., March 26. Bond has been set at $50,000. First-degree theft is a Class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

“We had contacted [the Sterling police] and asked if they would check the resident in question,” Robinson said. “They informed us that both vehicles [Martin has been known to operate] were there, and [Ames Police] investigators went on a road trip to Sterling.”

Robinson said police secured a search warrant for the property and police recovered “a very large quantity of the jewels” that are now being retained as evidence.

He said Martin could waive extradition, but if Martin chooses to fight the charges, the case would go before a judge who would determine if Martin could be transferred back to Iowa.

An investigation revealed a man entered the business and was being shown store merchandise by an employee, according to Ames Police. The employee turned away and the man took an undisclosed amount of jewelry and gems before he fled the scene.

Karen Youngberg, co-owner of Ames Silversmithing, said this was the first robbery of this scale for the store. She also said the store has heightened security since the incident.

“We’ve increased our security substantially,” Youngberg said.

She said she was pleased with the efforts of both police departments who worked on the case.

“We’re extremely happy with the Ames Police,” Youngberg said. “They worked tremendously, and it was a great joint effort between them and the Sterling Police [Department].”