A home repairman who stole a diamond ring and then swallowed it to keep it away from its owner has been charged with felony theft, authorities said today.Wilfredo Gonzalez, 30, of Chicago, was doing remodeling work to the victim's home in Cicero on Aug. 5 when he asked to use the restroom, the Cook County state's attorney's office said.
When he finished, the homeowner noticed her diamond ring was missing and told her husband, who confronted Gonzalez. Gonzalez denied taking the ring and the two began to struggle, prosecutors said. During the struggle, Gonzalez allegedly took the ring from where he had hidden it on his person and swallowed it, they said.
Police were called, and officers took Gonzalez to a MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn where an X-ray found the ring.
Gonzalez was then placed in a padded room filled with bedpans after he was given medication to force the expulsion of the ring, Cicero police said. The ring was finally recovered Monday, police said.
Gonzalez was charged with felony theft and faces up to 3 years in prison if convicted. He appeared at the Maywood Courthouse this morning, where bail was set at $10,000 by Cook County Judge James Shapiro.
