Diamond ring theft at Bay City’s Herman Hiss halted by employee tackling suspect
BAY CITY, MI — Taken down by employees of a cornerstone jewelry business in downtown Bay City as he allegedly tried stealing a diamond ring, a Detroit man has now been charged with two felonies.
Antoine R. Rackard-Hester Jr., 21, on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 28, appeared before Bay County District Judge Mark E. Janer for arraignment on single counts of larceny from a person and first-degree retail fraud. The charges are 10- and five-year felonies, respectively.
Janer referred Rackard-Hester’s case to the Office of Assigned Counsel.
According to police reports contained in court files, officers at about 12:30 p.m. on Monday, March 27, responded to a call of a robbery in progress at Herman Hiss & Company, 905 Washington Ave. The caller said the would-be robber was being held down on the ground by a male employee.
Officers arrived and took custody of Rackard-Hester. Meanwhile, officers pursued a tan 2013 Ford Taurus with a temporary paper license plate witnesses said contained two female accomplices. Police eventually lost track of the Taurus and ended their pursuit.
Herman Hiss’ manager told officers she was suspicious when Rackard-Hester and a woman entered the store, as they were both wearing masks. She directed her employees to go to the front of the business to deter potential theft, she said.
After Rackard-Hester and the woman were in the store for about 15 minutes, Rackard-Hester tried stealing a diamond ring, she said. A 35-year-old male employee reacted by tackling Rackard-Hester and holding him until officers arrived, she said.
The employee in question, a sales associate, told police Rackard-Hester and the woman were looking for LEO diamonds, which he said are an expensive brand Herman Hiss does not carry. Rackard-Hester told the man he was shopping for an engagement ring, describing the woman