An alleged jewel thief wearing jeans and a long-sleeved shirt was nabbed trying to blend in with a group of half-marathon runners in Dalton, Georgia, after he was spotted by a detective handling traffic control.
“Instead of a finisher’s medal, a Dalton burglary suspect instead won a pair of handcuffs after his short run on the Red Carpet Half Marathon course,” wrote the Dalton Police Department in a news release.
James Clayton OwnbeyJames Clayton Ownbey, 26, is suspected of breaking into homes over the last two weeks and taking several items, including a safe that police said contained an estimated $40,000 in jewelry.
Ownbey was initially arrested on Oct. 23 and charged with shoplifting from Walmart. But after he bonded out, detectives say they discovered new evidence linking him to the string of burglaries.
A detective on Saturday saw Ownbey walk out of the woods near some mini-warehouse and begin walking south along the street. When he apparently spotted the detective, Ownbey “joined a group of half-marathon runners and ran along with them as he passed the detective, apparently attempting to blend in with the group,” according to a news release.