Eagle County man charged with attempted armed robbery in Avon and theft of more than $15,000 in jewelry from Vail store

An Eagle County man is in custody after being arrested and charged in an alleged attempted armed robbery at an Avon store and a burglary at a jewelry store in the village of Vail in the early morning hours of Oct. 20.

Edwards resident Mamadou Gatta Sow, 40, who was arrested Sunday a week after the two alleged murders, faces eight felonies and one misdemeanor. Felony charges include criminal attempt to commit a felony, aggravated robbery, motor vehicle theft, threatening with a weapon, tampering with evidence, second-degree burglary, theft from $20,000 to $100,000 and criminal mischief from $5,000 to $20,000 . Gatta Sow was also charged with possession of burglary tools, a misdemeanor.

The alleged incident — according to an arrest affidavit for Sow — began just after 4 a.m. on Oct. 20 at the Maverick convenience store in Avon, when a witness said Sow used what appeared to be a nine-millimeter handgun to threaten a convenience store worker, demanding that the employee give him whatever money he might have on hand at the time. The worker said his response was to tell Sow that the store had no cash on hand and that “there were cameras everywhere,” according to the affidavit.

“The suspect then fled the store and drove away in a silver Audi Q5,” according to the affidavit.

Seventeen minutes later, Vail Township officers responded to an alarm at Lamina Jewelry Store in Vail Village and noticed that a front display case was broken, along with a jewelry box inside the store.

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“Vail Police officers reviewed City of Vail surveillance video and observed a silver Audi Q5 driving westbound on Meadow Drove and stop in front of Lamina,” according to the affidavit. “A party of dark skinned men wearing a black ‘bloated’ coat, black trousers, black shoes and a white beanie style hat exit the vehicle.

“The suspect is walking toward the front of the Lamina carrying what appears to be a hammer or similar instrument,” the report continues. “The suspect is seen swinging his arm toward the window, reaching into the window, then running back to his vehicle. As the suspect flees, he is seen placing what is later confirmed to be a floor of jewelry into his coat. The vehicle then drives west on Meadow Drive, turns north on Vail Road and then travels in an unknown direction from the Vail Main Roundabout.”

A store manager at the jewelry store said 19 pieces of jewelry, valued at $15,480, were stolen.

Reviewing security footage from the Avon store, officers could see body damage on the rear driver’s side of the vehicle, but there were no license plates on the vehicle.

Using a Colorado database, a Vail detective was able to locate an Audi with injuries identical to the Audi used in the attempted robbery and burglary, according to the affidavit. The vehicle was registered to a Vail man, who Vail police later contacted with a search warrant. In executing the warrant, the police found the man hiding in the shower of the home and arrested him. No items related to the burglary were found inside the residence.

Upon interviewing the arrested party, an Avon Police Department detective learned that Sow had used the man’s vehicle on the night of the alleged robbery. Officers impounded the vehicle and searched it, finding a gold earring and a gold necklace later confirmed to have been stolen from Lamina.

“On the rear passenger floor, a heavy blue plumbing wrench was in a black plastic garbage bag, this tool could have been used to break the glass pane and jewelry case from Lamina,” according to the statement at your own risk. “A pair of black cargo pants were located on the rear driver’s side floor, the pants appeared to be consistent with the pants the suspect was wearing in the Maverick gas station video.”

Officers then began searching Sow’s residence in Edwards and were eventually able to track down Sow and arrest him on Sunday. He remains in custody on $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 3.

This isn’t Sow’s first case of criminal behavior in Eagle County — earlier this year, he pleaded guilty to an assault charge and was sentenced to 114 days in jail, for which he received credit for time served. He also pleaded guilty to Class 5 criminal mischief, for which he was sentenced to 106 days in jail, with credit for time served.