An employee at an Atlanta hospital charged with stealing a dead woman's wedding and engagement rings helped police get them back from a pawn shop.

Tacuma Jawara's lawyer told detectives where the rings had been pawned, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The next morning, a detective went to the shop and got them.

Katherine Armstrong, 35, died April 30 at Grady Memorial Hospital after being in a car crash. Detective P.J. Roberson said Jawara's nephew pawned the rings, valued at $5,000, for $650 the next day.

Armstrong's husband, Alan, said he plans to keep the rings, at least for now, around his neck with his dog tags from his days as a Navy pilot.

It's not the best place for long-term security, Armstrong said, but I wanted to have them close.

Jawara's job at Grady was to log personal property and have it stored in a safe. Roberson said a security camera showed him carrying a plastic bag, which investigators believe held Armstrong's rings.

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