Austin man arrested after stealing jewelry during Facebook Marketplace sale, police say

AUSTIN, Texas (KWTX) – An Austin man was arrested Oct. 21 after stealing a “high-end” piece of jewelry during an in-person transaction, police say.

Caleb Thompson, 21, was charged with robbery.

According to the police report, Thompsen had met with the victim, as well as a family member of the victim, in a parking lot located in the 4400 block of N Lamar Blvd. at approximately 4:45 p.m. after expressing interest in the jewelry in FacebookMarketplace.

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

Upon meeting Thompsen, the victim reported that he “reached out and grabbed the jewelry out of her hand.” According to the police report, Thompsen began displaying aggressive behavior, charging at the victim to intimidate her and bragging about selling the jewelry he had stolen.

The victim claimed she feared for her safety, even though the meeting location was selected under the assumption that the transaction would be safer in public, according to the police report.

Following the investigation, the Austin Police Department’s Violent Crimes Task Force arrested Thompsen once a warrant was issued. He was booked into the Travis County Jail, although online records indicate he could have been released on bond.

The Austin Police Department Robbery Unit urges the community to be cautious when engaging in online sales, even though the victim took numerous precautions to ensure his safety and the legitimacy of the sale. The unit has provided the following advice to follow when making online sales:

• Bring a trusted person with you for the exchange.
• Meet in a public place, preferably during the day, with multiple witnesses.
• Please keep items insured until payment has been received.
• Perform the transaction on camera if possible
• Get a description of the person’s vehicle, such as the make, model, license plate, and color of the vehicle, and do not meet with them unless the description matches.
• Get a description of the person’s physical appearance, such as a physical description and a description of their clothing, and do not meet with anyone who does not fit the description.
• Screenshot of the buyer’s social media account agreeing to meet in case the buyer deletes the account after making the sale.

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

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