Cape Coral man charged with grand theft, dealing in stolen property
A Cape Coral man has been arrested for stealing from the owners of a home he was hired to clean.
Donald Claybaugh, 59, has been charged with grand theft, as well as six counts of dealing in stolen property.
According to Cape Coral Police Department officials, officers responded to a report of a past theft at a home in southwest Cape Coral on March 30.
According to police officials, the victim reported that several pieces of jewelry were missing, including vintage gold diamond rings.
CCPD officials state the victim told officers they had employed Claybaugh as a house cleaner, who worked at her home on a monthly basis. Officials added that at the time of the initial report, the victim did not wish to pursue charges.
“During the course of the investigation, the victim later located multiple pieces of the stolen jewelry at a local pawn shop and repurchased the items,” a CCPD release stated. “The victim subsequently chose to move forward with charges. Detectives confirmed that multiple pieces of jewelry had been pawned at a Cape Coral business. A review of pawn records revealed several transactions linked to Donald Claybaugh between 2025 and 2026.”
Claybaugh was recently arrested and charged on May 14.
According to Lee County Jail records, Claybaugh has multiple previous theft charges dating back to 1991.
As of Tuesday morning, Claybaugh was still in custody at Lee County Jail being held on a $32,500 bond.
To reach CJ HADDAD, please email cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com