A Gainesville man is heading to federal prison for nearly 15 years after a four-month robbery spree that targeted a Jacksonville pawn shop and Kay Jewelers stores in Jacksonville and Ocala.
Michael Woulard, 50, was sentenced to 14 years and 10 months for robbery and brandishing a firearm during a violent crime, according to News4JAX. He pleaded guilty in March after investigators tied him to three armed robberies across North Central Florida.
The case began with a Value Pawn robbery in Jacksonville on Oct. 10, 2023, when goods valued at about $45,945 were stolen. On Nov. 25, Woulard brandished a semi-automatic pistol at employees of a Jacksonville Kay Jewelers and took jewelry valued at approximately $352,623.66, according to the Department of Justice.
Arrest Followed The Ocala Jewelry Store Robbery
Woulard struck again at an Ocala Kay Jewelers on Feb. 20, 2024, using a semi-automatic pistol to threaten employees and stealing jewelry valued at roughly $364,752.56. The next day, authorities arrested him with numerous items from that robbery, as Action News Jax previously reported.
During a voluntary interview with investigators from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Ocala Police Department, Woulard admitted committing the jewelry store robberies, News4JAX reported. The investigation also involved the FBI and Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.
The combined value of the stolen goods was more than $763,000, but Woulard was ordered to pay $442,582.59 in restitution to victims. The sentence followed his March 16 guilty plea to federal robbery and firearm charges, according to News4JAX.
Co-Defendant Helped Case The Jacksonville Store
Erica Jordan Patrick, a co-defendant in the case, previously pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the Jacksonville Kay Jewelers robbery. Prosecutors said she helped by scouting the store and identifying specific jewelry cases and items for Woulard to target, the Department of Justice said.
