Sheboygan, WI (WHBL) – While everyone else at Whistling Straits was spending their time watching pro golfers compete in the 97th PGA championship tournament, a Sheboygan man was busy watching the time - literally
It was a clock. But, not just any old clock.
An employee of the Omega watch company says that a large Omega clock that was stolen from the company’s tent on the grounds of whistling Straits Saturday is valued at over $8000.
The clock, which is made of chrome metal somehow managed to disappear from a display inside the tent, and by the time Sheboygan County Sheriff’s deputies located the clock, it was aboard a bus - about to leave the main gate. Meaning, the alleged thief almost pulled off the heist.
A criminal complaint filed in Sheboygan County court outlines details of how the clock was recovered. A Wisconsin State Trooper reports that he spotted 24-year-old Hugo T. Nguyen of Sheboygan in possession of the clock less than a mile south of the main gate on Lakeshore Rd., attempting to leave Whistling Straits.
The trooper told deputies that when he asked Nguyen where he obtained the clock, Nguyen claimed that he won it in a putting competition, a claim disputed by Omega staff members.
Nguyen was detained by the trooper as Sheriff’s deputies further investigated.
It turns out, Nguyen may have had too much time on his hands.
He is charged with one count of theft which could land him in jail for up to six years, and faces fines of up to $10,000 if convicted.