An Austin man was arrested for stealing jewelry from a Facebook sale, police said

AUSTIN, TX (KWTX) – An Austin man was arrested Oct. 21 after stealing a “high-end” piece of jewelry during a personal transaction, police said.

Caleb Thompson, 21, was charged with robbery.

According to the police report, Thompson encountered the victim as well as a member of the victim’s family in a parking lot located in the 4400 block of N Lamar Blvd. at approximately 4:45 p.m. after finding interest in the jewelry on Facebook Marketplace.

No information about the jewelry itself, such as a description, was provided.

After meeting Thompson, the victim reported that he “reached in and grabbed the jewelry out of her hands.” Thompson then became aggressive, lunging at the victim to intimidate her and bragging about selling the jewelry he stole, according to the police report.

The victim claimed she feared for her safety, even though the meeting location was chosen on the assumption that the transaction would be safer in a public place, the police report states.

After an investigation, the Austin Police Department’s Violent Crimes Task Force arrested Thompson after a warrant was issued. He was booked into the Travis County Jail, although online records show he may have been released on bond.

The Austin Police Department’s Robbery Unit is urging the community to be cautious about participating in online sales, despite the victim taking numerous precautions to ensure their safety and the legitimacy of the sale. The unit has provided the following tips to follow when selling online:

Bring a trusted person with you for the exchange
Meet in a public place, preferably during the day, with several witnesses
Keep items safe until payment is received
Transact on camera if possible
Get a description of the person’s vehicle, such as make, model, license plate and color, and avoid meeting them if the description doesn’t match
Get a description of a person’s appearance, such as a physical description and a description of their clothing, and avoid dating someone who doesn’t match the description
A screenshot of the buyer’s social media account after the meeting has been arranged in case the buyer deletes the account after the sale

In the event of a potential robbery, citizens should contact the Austin Police Department’s Robbery Unit at (512)974-5092 or Crimestoppers at (512)472-8477 or online at austincrimestoppers.org. Those who provide information may be eligible for a $1,000 cash reward if their information leads to an arrest.