Thief who swallowed ring pleads guilty

A Chicago man who gulped down a diamond ring while trying to conceal a theft has been sentenced to 12 days in jail.

Authorities say 30-year-old Wilfredo Gonzalez-Cruz also must serve two years of probation after pleading guilty Tuesday to a felony theft charge.

Prosecutors in Cook County say Gonzalez-Cruz took the ring from a Cicero home where he was doing repair work earlier this month. Authorities say he was confronted about the theft and swallowed the ring during a struggle with the homeowner.

Police took him to the hospital, where an X-ray revealed the ring. Authorities then waited for it to pass through Gonzalez-Cruz’s system and recovered the evidence.