Sunrise Police: Ring Thief Caught
SUNRISE (CBSMiami) - Sunrise Police say the case of the running ring ripoff artist at Sawgrass Mills Mall has been solved after tips from the public came in to police.
Police say Maurice Blake is the man seen in surveillance video from last week at a mall jewelry store. Police say Blake asked an employee at CR Jewelers at Sawgrass Mills to see a nearly 3 carat diamond ring worth $31-thousand dollars.
Police say once the ring was in Blake's hand he bolted and got away.
Police say Blake was busted on a Miami Gardens street Tuesday evening and booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami.
Investigators say they did not recover the ring.
A check of Florida prison records shows that Blake is not a stranger to law enforcement. He's served several years in prison and been arrested for several charges including grand theft and burglary.
In fact, Broward court records shows that just 8 days prior to the theft at Sawgrass Mills, Blake was arrested for petit theft in Pembroke Pines.
CBS 4 News is told that other police agencies are looking into some open cases in their jurisdictions to see if Blake might be connected.
