What an X-Ray Revealed in the Body of an Alleged Jewelry Thief

Alleged burglars stole 27 diamond rings.

ByABC News
September 24, 2015, 2:09 PM

— -- The last piece of jewelry stolen during a robbery was found after one of the alleged thieves was scanned by an X-ray machine, revealing the missing diamond ring, police in Ohio said.

Macie Young, 61, and Leroy Bridgman, 57, are accused of robbing a jewelry store in Sycamore Township, Ohio, last week and stealing at least 27 diamond rings. The heist was thwarted after an alarm went off and the duo was stuck on an elevator with 26 diamond rings and tools, including a large screwdriver and a ski mask, police said.

Mike Robison, public information officer at the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, said the pair attempted to hide jewels in the elevator panels, but officers found everything except one final ring.

"There was one ring that was not accounted for," Robison said, noting that authorities put Young through and X-ray machine "and found it in [Young's] midsection. She continued to deny that it was there."

PHOTO: An Ohio jail noticed that an alleged thief had swallowed a ring thanks to a new kind of x-ray.
An Ohio jail noticed that an alleged thief had swallowed a ring thanks to a new kind of x-ray.

That X-ray machine is used to check prisoners at the local jail to make sure they have not hidden any contraband or weapons in body cavities when entering the facility, Robison said.

Both Young and Bridgman have been charged with breaking and entering and possessing criminal tools, police said. Young also faced charges for drug possession and drug paraphernalia.

A lawyer for Young told ABC News that she has entered a not-guilty plea and have no further comment.

Bridgman's lawyer could not be immediately reached for comment.