Notorious 86-year-old jewelry thief accused of pocketing $2,000 necklace

DUNWOODY, Ga. — Doris Payne has a long history of jewelry thefts spanning more than 50 years.

And police say the 86-year-old has struck again, this time in Dunwoody.

Police said Payne was arrested for allegedly swiping a $2,000 necklace from a Von Maur store on Tuesday. She concealed it in her back pocket and attempted to leave the store, police said.

In 2015, Payne was caught allegedly swiping a pair of earrings worth nearly $700 from the Christian Dior store inside Saks Fifth Avenue at Phipps Plaza.

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Payne was featured in a 2013 documentary, “The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne.”

"I've taken a one and a half carat out of Monte Carlo. There has never been a day that I went to steal that I did not get what I want," Payne said in the documentary.

“According to my research, when she was 20 year old, she started committing crimes,” said Atlanta Police Sgt. Warren Pickard.

Police said she has made a lifelong career out of stealing. Mug shots of her arrests date back to the 1960’s.

In July, police suspected her of stealing a $32,000 David Yurman engagement ring from South Park Mall in Charlotte, North Carolina, according to affiliate WSOC.

Cox Media Group