MUG SHOT Notorious jewel thief Doris Payne arrested again
86-year-old Doris Payne, who’s earned notoriety as an international jewel thief has been arrested again for stealing. This time, however, it wasn’t high-priced jewels, but about $86 worth of merchandise from an Atlanta-area Walmart.
Payne exploits over the past six decades were examined in a 2013 documentary called The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne. In the film Doris brazenly admits that she has no regrets about her life of crime, but instead regrets being caught. Since the documentary’s release, Doris has been arrested multiple times for stealing jewelry including $800 earrings in 2015, and a $2000 necklace this past December (2016.)
Her attorney Drew Findling is saying that his latest arrest is much different than all the others. “This is a sharp contrast to all the cases in the past. We’re not talking about high-end jewelry,” he said. “We’re talking about what an 86-year-old woman needs to survive on a day-to-day basis, food supplies and medical supplies.”
The list of items she stole has not been released, but a Walmart employee witnessed Payne visit the pharmacy, electronics and grocery departments. Some items were loaded into her grocery cart, but others were stowed in her purse and a shopping bag. She tried to leave the store after only paying for the items in the cart.
After her arrest police noticed that she was wearing an electronic ankle bracelet. She only had 10 days left of probation time for her last felony charge.
Police say that Doris has had over 22 aliases and has probably gotten away with more theft than anyone could really know.
Here’s one of Payne’s earlier mug shot photos:
