LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - A notorious jewel thief wanted across the country learned his lesson the hard way after stealing from a local jewelry store.
He was captured just 24 hours later after someone recognized him on Facebook.
Here's how it all played out:
"Nothing was rushed. He was extremely calm -- nothing seemed overly suspicious about him. He just seemed like a normal guy walking in,” said Kelli Mayfield, still in shock when we interviewed her Thursday afternoon about the theft that happened in her North Little Rock jewelry store the day before.
"She had pulled out a ring to show him. He was also wanting to look at other things, so she was putting things back and pulling them out, back and forth, so it all pretty much happened right here, right in front of her. Just three feet away,” she said as she showed me the case the ring was stolen from.
The jewelry store owner was stunned when she posted what happened on social media and immediately jewelers from across the business identified the suspect as Richard Laracuente.
Police say they have a pretty good idea that he's the same suspect that's been hitting up mom-and-pop shops across the southeast.
Police say Laracuente is his real name, but he goes by many aliases. He's known as "thumbs" in the jewelry business because he only has one-and-a-half thumbs. There's an entire Facebook page dedicated to catching him.
Then, as we were just about to leave the jewelry store, they got a call.
"Oh, so they caught him,” asked the sales clerk. “Ok. Little Rock police? Thank you so much, bye."
Twenty minutes across town, the suspect walked in to Rock City Harley Davidson and was asking employees about a battery for his motorcycle. One of those employees recognized him from social media, called Little Rock police, and he was picked up just outside.
"It's awesome,” Mayfield said after she heard the news. “It just goes to show, getting the word out, everybody out there, they do help. I'm sure that helped to lead to all of it. It's awesome."
Laracuente was questioned by North Little Rock Detectives regarding the heist and has been charged with one count of felony theft of property. He will be held for theft in other states as well.