Crime & Safety
Granny Gem Thief Doris Payne Banned From DeKalb Malls
BREAKING: DeKalb judge tells Doris Payne, 86, she cannot ever enter a Von Maur store again.
DECATUR, GA -- An 86-year-old woman known internationally as an unapologetic jewel thief was banned from shopping at DeKalb County malls Wednesday during a court appearance, Patch has learned.
Doris Payne appeared in DeKalb County Superior Court in charges that she swiped a $2,000 necklace from a Dunwoody store. The incident happened in December at the Von Maur store in Perimeter Mall.
She pleaded guilty to a felony count of theft by shoplifting and was sentenced to 30 days in jail as part of a three-year probation term. It was reduced to time served on the following condition:
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"You are banned from Von Maur, any location, not just in DeKalb County," DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Linda Hunter told Payne. "You cannot return not only to Perimeter Mall but you cannot shop at any DeKalb County mall."
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Payne's attorney told local media that he had to agree to the conditions so that Payne, who has undisclosed medical problems, can stay out of jail.
"The best thing to do at 86 years old and not such good health was to reach a resolution that would get her out and get her on probation," her attorney Drew Findling told WAGA-TV.
Payne has a long history of mischief, including being wanted in several states and even internationally for shoplifting and other offenses. Her exploits border on the comical -- she reportedly pulled off a heist in Switzerland and escaped "through cornfields" -- to the improbable -- she once claimed to have lifted a 10-carat, $545,000 diamond ring out of Monte Carlo in the early 1970s.
She has ripped off high-end shops across the world, including in Paris, Monaco and Tokyo, to name a few. So coming to metro Atlanta's high-end district during the holidays is not so far-fetched.
In 2013, a documentary was done on her life, appropriately titled "The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne." It is currently on Netflix.
Read more: Jewel Thief, 86, At It Again, Police Say
Image via DeKalb County Sheriff's Office
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