Octogenarian Career Jewel Thief Back in Custody

Notorious, now octogenarian jewel thief Doris Payne is back in handcuffs, but not for some sly heist.

She is headed to court Thursday on an alleged probation violation that her attorney Gretchen von Helms calls a failure in the system.

“Doris is obviously extremely upset. She's very ill, she's elderly now, she's 83 years of age,” said von Helms.

The lawyer told NBC 7 that Payne is on probation for two cases: one in Riverside County where she took a $22,500 ring from a Palm Desert store in 2013, and the other in Los Angeles County for a similar felony theft.

Riverside County probation officials took Payne to an L.A. courtroom, von Helms said, and the thief was told her supervision was transferred to L.A. County. She soon started reporting only to her probation officer there.

Doris Payne _65Mugshot
Milwaukee PD
This mugshot shows jewel thief Doris Payne in 1965.

“Riverside were perplexed that she hadn't called Riverside and told them where she was, even though she had been taken to L.A. County by the Riverside Sheriff's Department,” said von Helms.

Officials in Riverside County soon issued a warrant for Payne’s arrest, accusing her of probation violation.

Von Helms claims her client did nothing wrong, making all her required reports to the L.A. officer. The attorney said Riverside County never contacted L.A. County to ask about Payne, although they knew she had been released from jail into L.A. supervision.

"This is exactly the case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing and the two probation departments not communicating,” said von Helms.

On Thursday, a judge is expected to rule on whether the probation violation charge is valid. If that is the case, Payne could be ordered to serve the remainder of a four-year prison sentence. She only served two years due to the prison realignment measure AB 109.

Payne’s international life of crime spanned six decades, sparking notoriety in the news and an independent film called “The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne.” Halle Berry is even reportedly portraying her on the big screen, although the thief raised issues with that casting.

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"She goes into the store and she is found to be in possession of a ring at some later time,” von Helms said of her client’s modus operandi. “She is not caught on videotape typically with the ring, but circumstances in the case in Riverside led her to plead guilty."

She has lifted high-end jewels from stores in New York, Tokyo, Monte Carlo and here in San Diego. In January 2011, Payne was sentenced for stealing a $8,900 diamond ring from the Macy’s department store in Fashion Valley.

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