Grand jury indicts 5 suspects in $1.7 million heist at Boozer’s Jewelers in Waco

WACO, Texas (KWTX) – A California man charged in two Waco-area bank robberies was indicted Thursday, along with four alleged accomplices, in the $1.7 million robbery at Boozer’s Jewelers in Waco.

A McLennan County grand jury charged John W. Rainwater, 42, of Merced, Calif., with an enhanced aggravated robbery charge in the June 17 robbery at the jewelry store, 1025 N. Valley Mills Drive, in which he is alleged to have pointed a gun at employees and bound them with zip ties before ransacking display cases.

The charge against Rainwater was enhanced by a previous aggravated robbery conviction in McLennan County in 2003. The enhancement bumps the minimum sentence he faces if convicted from five to 15 years. He faces up to life in prison.

Also indicted Thursday on third-degree felony theft of $30,000 or more but less than $150,000 charges were Lawanda Lynette Joiner, 35, Jessica Renee Tolbert, 39, Tonia Freeman, 60, and Tontanisha D. Freeman, 37. They all are charged in the indictments with “unlawfully appropriating, by acquiring or otherwise exercising control over property, namely diamonds and/or watches and/or jewelry from Boozer’s Jewelers.”

Rainwater was arrested in July in two McLennan County bank robberies. Police said a Rolex watch stolen from Boozer’s was found when Rainwater was arrested.

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Tontanisha Freeman was arrested in Austin on Aug. 4 after she allegedly pawned jewelry stolen from Boozer’s. Joiner was arrested in Waco on Aug. 4 for allegedly delivering the stolen jewelry to Freeman.

According to an arrest affidavit, detectives noticed the robber seen in the surveillance footage had the same “physical build, height, and weight” as Rainwater, who was already in custody and charged in bank robberies at the First Convenience Bank on April 2022 and the Texell Credit Union in Hewitt on Oct. 2022.

Detectives said employees at the First Convenience Bank also had their hands zip-tied like the employees at Boozer’s. Detectives also learned through jail communications that Rainwater spoke with Tontanisha Freeman frequently after his arrest in July and coordinated so that Freeman could “collect property” from Joiner, the affidavit states.

Rainwater was heard in jail communications talking about Freeman “making plays,” which detectives said was code for selling stolen jewelry, and then sending the money from the sales to an associate of Rainwater, arrest records allege.

After Freeman pawned several Rolex watches in Austin, detectives confirmed the merchandise was stolen from Boozer’s. Detectives then spoke with Freeman, who admitted she obtained the watches from Rainwater, an arrest affidavit states.

During questioning, Joiner allegedly told detectives she rented the vehicle used during the armed robbery at Boozer’s and rented a room for Rainwater. The affidavit states Joiner also told detectives Rainwater admitted to her that he robbed a jewelry store and asked her to take the box of jewelry to Freeman.

“Overall, John Rainwater’s physical features match those of the suspect in this case, and he has used similar robbery tactics in prior robberies,” detectives wrote in the affidavit, “When he was arrested, he was located with shoes and clothing matching the description of those used in the robbery and was in possession of a Rolex stolen during the robbery,” the affidavit states.

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