Evidence that someone else may have been involved in the robbery of a Del Mar jewelry store prompted prosecutors today to dismiss a robbery charge against a man accused of holding up the store at gunpoint and taking $300,000 in merchandise.
Allan Richard Ziemann, 43, was arrested Jan. 22 and charged with robbing Janetelli Jewelers on Jan. 8.
Ziemann, who was on probation for grand theft, was also charged with possession of an assault weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Deputy District Attorney Allison Worden told Judge Kathleen Lewis there is evidence that someone other than Ziemann may have committed the robbery and asked that the charge be dropped.
Ziemann -- who was released from jail on his own recognizance -- will still be prosecuted on the weapon charges if it turns out the weapon he had was real, Worden said. That gun is being tested because the defense challenged its authenticity, the prosecutor said.
In the Del Mar heist, the suspect put a handgun to the owner's head and ordered him to the floor, then fled with the merchandise, sheriff's investigators said.
Detectives identified Ziemann as a suspect based on witness statements and evidence gathered at the scene, leading to his arrest near his home in Scripps Ranch.
Ziemann has six prior armed robbery convictions on his record, Worden said.
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