The man, 48, was arrested for first-degree theft after a traffic stop by East Honolulu police yesterday on Kalaniana'ole Highway at 5:15 p.m. He was taken to The Queen's Medical Center for medical attention unrelated to the arrest, police said.

According to Hawai'i Criminal Justice Data Center records, the suspect has been convicted of 66 criminal offenses between July 1981 and October 2007. He has been arrested 153 times.

The man's most recent convictions were Oct. 8 for felony second-degree theft and misdemeanor third-degree theft. He was sentenced to one-year jail terms to run concurrently for both crimes.

The jewelry heist occurred Nov. 13 at Macy's Kahala store.

The man allegedly stole a display case of diamond jewelry by using a utility tool to cut the display case cable. He walked out of the store at 6:05 p.m. carrying the display case.

The man was identified through closed-circuit videotapes of the robbery, police said.

The man was expected to be released from the hospital tonight and will likely be charged tomorrow.