ORLANDO, Fla. — A Texas man was arrested after allegedly swallowing two pairs of diamond earrings worth nearly $770,000 during his arrest on a Florida highway last week, according to the Associated Press.
The suspect, 32, is accused of stealing the Tiffany & Co. earrings from an upscale Orlando shopping center. Detectives believe he ingested the jewelry to avoid detection after being pulled over by state troopers in Washington County, Florida.
According to the arrest report, a state trooper overheard the suspect saying, ‘I should have thrown them out the window,’ and later asked jail staff if he would be charged for what was in his stomach.
The theft occurred when the suspect allegedly posed as a buyer for an Orlando Magic basketball player, expressing interest in diamond earrings and a ring.
He was taken to a VIP room to view the items, where he then attempted to flee with the jewelry. During the escape attempt, a sales associate was injured but managed to knock a diamond ring, valued at $587,000, out of the suspect’s hands.
Detectives tracked the suspect’s vehicle using security footage and tag readers, eventually stopping him for driving without rear lights. An X-ray at the Washington County jail revealed foreign objects in the suspect’s digestive tract, believed to be the stolen earrings.
The suspect faces charges of first-degree felony grand theft and robbery with a mask. As of Wednesday, he remains in custody in Orange County, Florida, awaiting further legal proceedings.
VIDEO: Police: Tennessee man charged after stealing 90-year-old’s $95K diamond
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
