OKC Police Searching For Alleged Serial Ring Thief

Police are searching for an alleged serial ring thief.

Employees from a store the man stole from, reportedly recognized Ty’Juan Wilson, 31, from his state ID card and because he is a frequent customer.

Oklahoma City police took the first ring theft report on November 1st from the JCPenney store inside Penn Square Mall.  

A store employee told officers Wilson pretended to be looking for a diamond ring for his girlfriend. The employee reported, when she took the ring out of the case, he grabbed the ring from her hand and ran out of the store.

Police said Wilson pawned the stolen jewelry for $230 at a pawn shop on Northwest 23rd Street, only hours after the theft.

Investigators state in an arrest warrant that Wilson continued the pattern every week in November and once in December. Each time, he snatched the ring from an unsuspecting employee.

“It looks like in most of the instances, he was stealing one ring at a time. Most of the rings ranged around $2,000 but one of the rings was about $8,000,” said Oklahoma City Police Officer Megan Morgan.  

Wilson allegedly stole more than $23,000 in rings from JCPenney, Macy's and Zale’s stores inside Penn Square Mall and Quail Springs Mall. Police have record of the suspect selling three of the stolen rings to metro pawn shops.

“There are six rings,” said Morgan. “Three of them have been recovered and three remain outstanding.”

Wilson also has a record of theft. He was convicted in 2016 for larceny in Oklahoma County.

“I do know he is wanted with DOC as well for larceny of merchandise,” said Morgan. “He’s currently serving a sentence.”

Wilson is wanted on a $50,000 felony warrant. He faces six counts of larceny and three counts of false declaration to a pawn broker.