Sask. robbery suspect arrested

2014 jewelry store heist

Two days after a Canadawide warrant was issued, police in Montreal arrested a third suspect in connection with the 2014 robbery of a downtown Saskatoon jewelry store.

According to Saskatoon police on Friday, Jean Gillis Kesner, 23, was taken into custody by Montreal police and will be transported back to Saskatoon to face charges of robbery, wearing a disguise while committing an offence and conspiracy to commit arson.

Saskatoon police say four men wearing masks and construction jackets broke into the Birks store on Third Avenue South around 11 a.m. on Feb. 1, 2014, smashing display cases with crowbars and stealing merchandise, including “a large quantity” of Rolex watches. Ninety minutes later, a vehicle that police say was connected to the robbery was found in flames at Bottomley Avenue and Osler Street. Investigators established a connection between the two incidents.

Two other men have been arrested in the case — Muhidiin Ahmed-Farah in April 2014, and Rida Naim in May 2015. Ahmed-Farah pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years in prison, while Naim remains before the courts. A Canada-wide warrant remains out for another suspect, Pierre Louis Hernandes, 32, of Montreal.