86-YEAR-OLD INTERNATIONAL JEWEL THIEF DORIS PAYNE A FREE WOMAN AFTER DISMISSED THEFT CHARGES

Doris Payne

Doris Payne, the octogenarian famed for swiping huge amounts of high-priced bling over the years, has been arrested again.

This time she was picked up for allegedly stealing $86.22 worth of doodads from a department store in suburban Atlanta.

The famed thief -- the subject of a documentary called the "The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne" -- was wearing an electronic ankle monitor from a previous arrest.

The incident took place at Walmart in the city of Chamblee around 5 p.m. on Monday.

Unapologetic octogenarian jewel thief arrested again

An employee watched the 86-year-old jewel thief snap up items in the pharmacy, electronics and grocery departments, police said..

Payne put some of the stuff in her purse, a Walmart shopping bag and a shopping cart, the employee said, according to a Chamblee police report.

When she got to the checkout line, she only paid for the goods in the cart and was arrested after she made the purchase and left the store.

Payne was booked and cited for theft by shoplifting -- a misdemeanor.

In December, Payne was arrested at an upscale mall in suburban Atlanta for allegedly stealing a necklace.

She had been on probation at the time of her arrest for jewelry theft at another Atlanta mall in 2014.

'I regret getting caught'

Payne told the Los Angeles Times in 2008 that she stole her first diamond when she was in her 20s and then became hooked.

In the documentary film, Payne bragged of stealing at least $2 million in jewelry, in the US, Paris, Monaco and Tokyo.

"I don't have any regrets about stealing jewelry," she says in the film's trailer. "I regret getting caught."

A background check reveals 10 run-ins with the law in four US states dating back to 1992. The documentary contains mugshots and arrest records from 1965.

She steals because she can, said California-based lawyer Gretchen Von Helms, who has represented her.

"She never hurts anybody," the attorney said. "She is not forceful."

Payne's advanced age and diminutive appearance betray her smarts.

"Aside from her activities she is a wonderful person with a lot of fun stories," the attorney said
.