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Notorious Jewel Thief Doris Payne, 85, Arrested in Atlanta Earring Theft

Payne is accused of stealing a pair of expensive earrings. She was wanted in connection with the theft of a $33,000 diamond ring in North Carolina.
IMAGE: Doris Payne
Doris Payne, 85, was booked on suspicion of theft by shoplifting on Thursday. She was released Tuesday, according to online jail records.Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Notorious international jewel thief and octogenarian Doris Payne was at it again, arrested by Atlanta police last week for allegedly pocketing a pair of expensive earrings at a department store in an upscale neighborhood.

Payne, 85, was taken into custody after a loss prevention officer reported seeing her lift a pair of $690 earrings from the shelf of a Saks Fifth Avenue and then quickly exit the department store, NBC station WXIA reported.

IMAGE: Doris Payne
Doris Payne, 85, was booked on suspicion of theft by shoplifting on Thursday. She was released Tuesday, according to online jail records.Fulton County Sheriff's Office

"Ms. Payne is a career criminal that has been arrested multiple times for stealing high-end jewelry,” Atlanta police said in a statement confirming her arrest.

Payne was arrested and taken into custody on Thursday. She was released on $2,500 bond Tuesday, according to jail records.

The Mecklenberg County Sheriff's Office had also issued a warrant for Payne's arrest in connection with the theft of a $33,000 diamond ring in Charlotte, North Carolina, in July.

Payne pleaded guilty in 2014 to stealing a $22,500 diamond ring from a Southern California jewelry store, the Los Angeles Times reported. As part of her sentence, the judge ordered Payne to stay away from jewelry stores.

Payne’s decades of thievery in the U.S. and Europe were the subject of a 2013 documentary, “The Live and Crimes of Doris Payne.”