Man charged in burglary swallows 2 necklaces

 

A man faces burglary and tampering charges after an X-ray machine revealed a dark mass near his stomach while he was being booked into jail.

Pinellas County Sheriff's officials say the mass turned out to be two necklaces stolen during a Dec. 10 burglary in Safety Harbor.

Twenty-one-year-old Joseph Ramos was arrested Dec. 11 when he was stopped for driving a vehicle that was stolen during the burglary. Various items from the home were inside the vehicle.

When Ramos was being booked into jail, he stepped on the SecurPass X-ray machine and the dark spot was identified as the necklaces. He underwent surgery to remove them. The owner later identified the items.

Jail officials have been using the X-ray machine since June to detect items concealed on inmates.