INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A housekeeper’s assistant is accused of stealing and pawning $7,000 in jewelry items she stole from a local couple’s home that she helped clean earlier that day, Indian River County deputies said.
Christal Edith-Elise Scofield, 25, of Grant-Valkaria, was charged with grand theft, giving false information to a pawnbroker and dealing in stolen property. She is being held at the Indian River County Jail on $20,000 bond.
Christal Scofield
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Deputies on Oct. 10 went to a home in the 5500 block of Camino Real Lane, Gifford, in response to a theft. Deputies spoke with a couple, who told them someone stole a 14 karat white gold diamond ring worth $6,000.
The couple told deputies they suspected their housekeeper’s assistant might have something to do with the stolen ring. The housekeeper has worked for the couple for the past 16 years without any issues, officials said.
But, the couple said on Oct. 9, the housekeeper brought an assistant, later identified as Scofield, to help with cleaning the home. The couple said the housekeeper and Scofield arrived at the home shortly before 9 a.m. and were finished by noon.
The couple said they had never heard of or met Scofield until the day she came to help the housekeeper. The wife told deputies she last saw the ring the morning of Oct. 9 inside her jewelry chest.
On Oct. 12, deputies conducted a pawn search using the national pawn database and discovered Scofield had pawned a white gold ring similar to the stolen ring at Warrior Lane Pawn in Roseland, officials said.
Deputies got a picture of the pawned ring from the store owner. They showed the picture to the couple, and the couple positively identified the pawned ring and a 14 karat yellow gold bracelet worth $1,000 that they didn’t know was also stolen.
Deputies were able to get the pawn transaction form for the ring and bracelet, which listed Scofield as the seller/pledger. The bracelet had a pawn amount of $224 and the ring had a pawn amount of $40.
Scofield’s signature was on the transaction form and the pawn store gave deputies a picture of Scofield. Deputies showed the couple Scofield’s picture, and the couple was able to identify Scofield as the same woman who helped clean their home.
Scofield was arrested and taken to the county jail for booking.
