ORLANDO, Fla. — Authorities have successfully recovered four diamond earrings linked to a suspect who stole nearly $770,000 worth of Tiffany jewelry. This recovery occurred two weeks after the suspect was apprehended on a highway in the Florida Panhandle, according to police reports.
The Orlando Police Department confirmed that the last of the stolen earrings was retrieved from the suspect last week, rounding off the recovery of the stolen items.
Previously, three of the earrings were recovered just two days prior, alongside two additional unidentified diamond earrings. At the time, the suspect was being held in a hospital after being transferred from jail, while detectives gathered evidence, police officials reported.
The earrings were confirmed to match the serial numbers of the jewelry stolen from the Tiffany store last month, according to detectives.
After the recovery, the suspect, a Texas man, was moved to the Orange County Jail, where he now faces charges of robbery with a mask and first-degree grand theft.
During the theft, the suspect reportedly claimed he was purchasing the jewelry on behalf of an Orlando Magic basketball player. Sales associates escorted him to a VIP room to view the items, but soon after, he attempted to flee with the jewelry.
Using security footage from the mall, detectives identified the suspect’s vehicle. Troopers tracked his movements via license plate readers along the Florida Turnpike and Interstate 10, ultimately stopping him for a traffic violation in Washington County, nearly 340 miles away.
In custody, the suspect was overheard stating, “I should have thrown them out the window,” and inquired about potential charges regarding items he ingested, according to the arrest report.
