$3,500 Ring Down the Hatch in Error

A yard worker who took a break to quench his thirst with a soda found out the hard way he swallowed some “ice”--a $3,500 diamond ring.

The man’s employer, an elderly woman, had put the ring into a drinking glass for safekeeping, police said.

Then she offered the yard worker a soft drink she had poured herself, police said. She didn’t realize she had used the wrong drinking glass until later, when she discovered the ring was missing. She called police to tell them of her mistake.

An X-ray verified that the man had swallowed the ring, Police Chief James Coursey said. Medical experts told police to expect recovery of the ring within 48 hours.