Handyman stole $16,000 in jewelry from woman recovering from surgery, FL cops say

A stash of jewelry worth $16,000 mysteriously vanished as its owner was recuperating from surgery, according to investigators in Florida.

The theft happened in early May at a home in Lake Wales, but an arrest didn’t come until July 20, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

That’s because the suspect, like the jewelry, had mysteriously vanished, officials said.

“The victim said she had hired (a man) to do some work at her Lake Wales residence while she was recovering from surgery,” the sheriff’s office said.

“The victim said that nobody else had access to the jewelry besides (the handyman) and herself.”

It was on July 20 that deputies spotted the 48-year-old suspect’s vehicle in Lake Wales and surrounded it to make an arrest, officials said.

He has been charged with grand theft from a person 65 or older, officials said.

As for the jewelry, it remains missing, officials said.

Lake Wales is about a 60-mile drive east from Tampa.

This story was originally published July 28, 2025 at 2:16 PM with the headline "Handyman stole $16,000 in jewelry from woman recovering from surgery, FL cops say."