INDIAN RIVER COUNTY – A man accused of stealing his ex’s jewelry and getting a coworker to hawk it at the Indian River Mall is under arrest on charges of third degree grand theft and dealing in stolen property.
The Sheriff’s Office arrested Derek Hill, 25, of 25th Avenue SW. He is being held at the county jail on $12,500 bond. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Hill went to his ex-girlfriend’s home one evening and in the early morning hours went into her room and swiped several pieces of jewelry, including necklaces and earrings, along with five $2 bills and $5 worth of quarters.
Later that day, Hill told his coworker that he and his girlfriend split up and that she gave him all the jewelry he had given over the course of the relationship.
They then went Community Gold and Jewelry Buyers at the Indian River Mall to sell the baubles, which the Sheriff’s Office valued at more than $700.
The coworker, who later gave a statement to the Sheriff’s Office, told investigators that Hill said he didn’t have his license and asked him to sell the jewelry for him.
The coworker didn’t believe until after selling the jewelry that it was actually stolen, he said. He got $123 for the jewelry, which he then handed over to Hill, according to the arrest report.
Hill did not sell all of the jewelry, though, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Some of the victim’s jewelry was found in a garbage can located inside a company vehicle Hill had used the day the other pieces were sold. His supervisor had made the discovery, according to the arrest report.