Police Recover Diamond Earrings Worth $769,500 That Thief Swallowed

“Am I going to be charged with what’s in my stomach?” Jaythan Gilder asked a Florida jail employee on Feb.26.The answer, apparently, was yes.The next day, the authorities charged Mr.

Gilder, 32, with first-degree grand theft and third-degree robbery with a mask.They say that he had stolen two pairs of diamond earrings worth a total of $769,500 from Tiffany & Company in Orlando — then swallowed them hours later as the police were about to arrest him.On Friday, the Orlando Police Department announced that it had recovered the earrings from Mr.

Gilder, who spent more than 12 days in a hospital, when they were “expelled from his system.”The police said that on Feb.26, Mr.

Gilder of Houston, using the alias “Shawn” and posing as a representative for an N.B.A.player on the Orlando Magic, was escorted into a private room in the back of a Tiffany & Company store in an Orlando mall.There, he viewed two pairs of diamond earrings, valued at $769,500, and a diamond ring, worth $587,000, according to court records.

Mr.Gilder was looking at the jewelry when he suddenly jumped up and grabbed it, according to the arrest warrant filed by an Orlando police officer.Mr.

Gilder rushed toward the door, pushing and pulling at the handle as he tried to leave, the warrant said.But as he struggled to get out, an employee pulled the ring from him.

Mr.Gilder was able flee with the earrings, the warrant said.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

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