May 21, 2025 By Jon Andreassi 2 min read

State police charged two Ohio men with allegedly robbing a South Union Township jewelry store of nearly $400,000 in merchandise in 2024.

Deaundre Denzel Butler, 28, and Julius Kendall Alls, 51, both of Columbus, each face felony charges of robbery and theft by unlawful taking.

According to the criminal complaint, the robbery took place at the Kay Jewelers at 201 Walmart Drive on June 19, 2024, just minutes before the store closed.

Police alleged Butler and an unknown man entered the store with guns in their waistbands just before 7 p.m. while Alls waited outside in a GMC Sierra truck.

Butler stayed in the showroom and made two employees lay on their stomachs in the showroom, according to court paperwork.

Police said the other man, who was not identified in court paperwork, showed an employee the firearm in his waistband, and then forced that employee into a back room. This employee told police she was forced to open a safe and provide diamonds from inside, and the man then demanded the jewelry from inside a case in the showroom.

According to the complaint, the employee described the man as speaking to someone on the phone during the entire incident.

The man who investigators have yet to identify specifically requested jewelry from Kay’s Leo diamond collection.

Court records state the pair made off with $375,299 worth of diamonds and jewelry and fled through the back of a store.

According to the complaint, security cameras captured the vehicle being operated by Alls in front of the store and leaving around the time Butler and the other man fled the store.

Investigators noticed on traffic cameras that the truck was followed by a BMW sedan before and after the robbery. The two vehicles traveled from Allegheny County to the jewelry store. According to the complaint, the truck was registered in Alls’ name and the BMW in the name of a relative of Butler.

In October 2024 investigators obtained a report from the sheriff’s department in Henderson County, N.C. According to the complaint, troopers learned from the report that on Feb. 7 2024 that the sheriff’s office stopped a BMW being driven by Alls. Butler was also in the car.

Butler and Alls also face misdemeanor charges of simple assault. There are active warrants for the arrest of both men.