Janitor Charged in World Series Ring Theft

A janitor with a criminal past was arrested Wednesday for allegedly pocketing a precious World Series ring accidentally left in a bathroom at the Citizens Bank Park on Monday. He allegedly hid the ring inside the ballpark after the theft, according to police.

The quest for the 3.84 karat ring began Monday after Phillies Director of Publicity John Brazer left it in the executive suite bathrooms in the ballpark. He took it off to wash his hands, put it on top of a toilet paper dispenser and forgot to put it back on.

When Brazer came back about a half hour later, the $10,500 ring was gone. The ring features 103 diamonds set in 14 karat white gold. It also has a ruby inlay around a raised Phillies logo.

At first, officials were reluctant to say the ring was stolen -- perhaps a stranger picked it up for safe keeping and would return it or maybe it was accidentally flushed. But the time-frame for safeguarding lapsed. Police interviewed staffers and looked at surveillance video from outside the bathroom and the hallway nearby.

It was that surveillance video which identified janitor Anthony Mobley as a potential suspect. Investigators went to interview Mobley and over the course of that meeting, he allegedly admitted to swiping the ring, police said. The man told police he wrapped the ring up in paper and hid it in another restroom in the Hall of Fame Club. When police went to the location, they found the ring complete with Brazer's name etched inside.

Mobley, 53, was then arrested, according to police. He was later charged with theft and recieving stolen property. Mobley is no stranger to the law -- having served time in Graterford Prison for a 1974 murder, sources confirmed. He was not directly employed by the Phillies, working for an outsourced janitorial company, according to the team. They are asking the company to investigate his criminal record.

The team released this statement about the discovery of the ring:

"It has been two agonizing days for the ring owner, so we are thrilled that the situation has a happy ending. The Philadelphia Police Department, particularly the South Detective Special Investigation Unit, did an outstanding job helping to swiftly solve the case."

While its not everyday that someone loses a huge $10K ring, a recent study suggests leaving jewelry in the bathroom is quite common. I'll remember that the next time I take off my expensive bling in a public place.

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