Authorities have identified a 32-year-old man as the person who snatched a $169,000 diamond ring from a Lynnwood jewelry store and ran off.
Patrick Lionel Guillory was charged Friday with first-degree theft in connection with the Aug. 30 heist at International Jewelers in the 19200 block of Alderwood Mall Parkway.
A man who said he was shopping for a ring for his fiance picked out an 8.5-carat princess-cut diamond, then ran from the store with it.
Guillory was linked to the theft through a fingerprint and his photograph, although police don’t know where he is, deputy prosecutor Jim Townsend said. A Snohomish County Superior Court judge set bail at $25,000.
The man walked into the jewelry store asking about buying a ring and displaying a wad of cash, Townsend said. He then showed an interest in a $60,000 diamond bracelet and the $169,000 ring.
When the saleswoman removed the ring from a display case, the man grabbed it from her and ran.
The saleswoman and some construction workers chased the man, but he got into an older-model Ford and drove away. A witness got the license plate number, and police found the vehicle deserted at a nearby strip mall, Townsend said.
Policed found the saleswoman’s business card in the car, along with a fingerprint that was linked to Guillory. Witnesses also identified photos of Guillory, Townsend said.
Guillory has three prior felony theft convictions in Utah, New York and Texas, Townsend said.
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