After an alleged thief swallowed two pairs of earrings more than two weeks ago, Orlando police have found them, totaling Sh99,650,250 million.
According to authorities, Jaythan Gilder, 32, swallowed the diamond earrings from Tiffany & Co. at the time he was arrested on February 26.
The Orlando Police Department claims that before the earrings were removed from Mr. Gilder’s system, officers kept an eye on him for “more than a dozen days” at a hospital in Orlando.
Mr. Gilder is accused of first-degree grand theft and robbery with a mask.
The earrings have since been cleaned by Tiffany’s.
According to police, on February 26, Mr. Gilder pretended to be an NBA player’s assistant in order to exhibit him “very high-end jewellery” in a VIP area at a Tiffany & Co. store in Orlando, Florida.
Mr. Gilder allegedly raced out of the store with two pairs of earrings after distracting the staff.
As he left the store, the suspect reportedly also lost a diamond ring worth Sh76,016,500 million.
According to police, Mr. Gilder was “swallowing several objects believed to be the stolen earrings” when they apprehended him later that day.
“I should have thrown them out the window,” Mr. Gilder reportedly said to officials escorting him to jail, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
“Am I going to be charged with what’s in my stomach?” Mr. Gilder allegedly questioned jail staff.
According to police, on February 26, Mr. Gilder pretended to be an NBA player’s assistant in order to exhibit him “very high-end jewellery” in a VIP area at a Tiffany & Co. store in Orlando, Florida.
Mr. Gilder allegedly raced out of the store with two pairs of earrings after distracting the staff. As he left the store, the suspect reportedly also lost a diamond ring worth Sh76,016,500 million.
According to police, Mr. Gilder was “swallowing several objects believed to be the stolen earrings” when they apprehended him later that day.
“I should have thrown them out the window,” Mr. Gilder reportedly said to officials escorting him to jail, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
“Am I going to be charged with what’s in my stomach?” Mr. Gilder allegedly questioned jail staff.
Later, police released an x-ray that seemed to reveal a foreign item within a person’s abdomen.
According to the Orlando Police Department, Mr. Gilder was taken to a nearby hospital and kept under observation for around two weeks until the earrings were found.
The case “quickly turned into a marathon, not a sprint,” according to Detective Aaron Goss.
Police said that they had found the fourth Tiffany & Co. earring on March 12.
According to Mr. Goss, the master jeweler at Tiffany’s verified that the earrings’ serial numbers matched those of the pilfered items when they were returned to the store.
At the moment, Gilder is being held at the Orange County Jail.
His criminal past, according to the police, includes a robbery at a Tiffany & Co. store in Texas in 2022.
In Colorado, there are 48 different arrest warrants for him.
