The suspect who made off with two pricey engagement rings at a Lake Orion Kohl’s was recently arrested for attempting the same crime at Great Lakes Crossing Mall.
On Jan. 16, the suspect, identified as Jason Mark Thompson, walked into the Kohl’s on Baldwin Road and asked a salesperson to show him diamond engagement rings.
The sales clerk brought them out from under the glass to show them to Thompson, described in police reports as a black male around 30 years old, 6 feet 6 inches tall, wearing a knit cap and a hip-length leather coat with silver scrollwork on the front.
It was then Thompson allegedly snatched two of the rings from her hand and walked out of the store, deputies at the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) said.
‘As [the clerk] was discussing each ring, the suspect grabbed each ring out of [the clerk’s] hands and walked out of the store,? police reports said.
One ring was more than a carat and priced at $4,299. The other ring was a little less than a caret and priced at $2,799, according to police.
Lt. Bruce Naille, of the OCSD’s Orion Substation, said it’s believed Thompson was involved in a similar case a week earlier in Pontiac.
A week after the Lake Orion incident, Thompson was allegedly back at it, this time at a jewelry store in Great Lakes Crossing Mall.
According to Naille, he was not as successful.
‘Citizens at the store tripped him as he made his way out,? Naille said.
Thompson was eventually taken into custody by Auburn Hills police.
Deputies said Thompson has an extensive criminal history. He has been arraigned on the charges from the Great Lakes Crossing incident and is currently being held at the Oakland County Jail.
OCSD in Orion are waiting on a warrant so they can charge Thompson in the Kohl’s incident.