Cape police charge North Fort Myers woman in jewelry theft, possession
A North Fort Myers woman was arrested in Cape Coral for what police say is an alleged high-dollar jewelry theft.
Sarah Hankins, 30, has been charged with grand theft, dealing in stolen property, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to Cape Coral Police Department officials, its Property Crimes Unit arrested Hankins after an investigation of approximately $61,000 worth of luxury jewelry, including a Rolex watch, diamond jewelry and a gold pendent.
CCPD officials state the investigation began after a victim reported that several valuable pieces of jewelry had disappeared from his residence. Police officials said over the course of a few weeks following the report, detectives conducted numerous interviews, developed leads and traced the stolen property through multiple witnesses.
“The investigation ultimately revealed the suspect sold the stolen jewelry to a buyer in Lee County,” a CCPD release stated. “Detectives obtained sworn statements from witnesses, recovered one of the stolen pieces of jewelry, and confirmed it belonged to the victim. The evidence gathered throughout the investigation established probable cause for the suspect’s arrest.”
Hankins was located and arrested on July 28, and during the arrest, police officials state officers also discovered suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in her car.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Hawkins was still in custody at Lee County Jail, being held on a $25,000 bond.