Man Allegedly Swallows $20,000 Diamond

Authorities in Windsor, Ontario await a man’s bowel movement in a special holding cell following surveillance tape, which shows him allegedly swallowing a $20,000 diamond.

The 52-year-old man attempted a slight-of-hand trick, but thanks to an alert saleswoman, the man is now behind bars.

According to Huffington Post, Sgt. Brett Corey stated that the would-be diamond thief is currently being kept in a special cell at the jail–one that does not include a toilet.

Corey stated:

“We are monitoring his bowel movements, if you will. Our forensic identification people are the lucky ones who have to go through the waste to obtain the diamond once it passes.”

Dan Thomas, the owner of Precision Jewelers, where the incident took place, told investigators that:

“She noticed that he had fumbled with the stone and she thought right away that he had switched the stone, so when it was handed back to her, she said, ‘I don’t think this is the stone I gave you.’ And he said, ‘No, no, this is what you gave me, I don’t have anything on me.'”

The National Post reports that the accused, Richard Mackenzie Matthews, attempted to replace the 1.7 karat diamond with a fake cubic zirconia, but that store employees caught him in the act. They reportedly confronted Matthews, then locked him inside the store while they waited six minutes for police to arrive.

Police have said that, while the man has had bowel movements since his arrest, X-rays show that the diamond has not moved. As for after the diamond passes, Thomas is not sure what he will do with it. He stated that:

“But you never know, people might want it, saying, ‘There’s a whole story behind this diamond and I want it.'”