INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A recently hired air conditioning repairman was fired from his job after a co-worker reported seeing him with jewelry taken from a client’s home. The repairman is accused of stealing more than $80,000 worth of jewelry.
The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office arrested Matthew Adams, 36, of 150 23rd Place SW, Vero Beach, on Aug 20. He is currently being held at the Indian River County Jail in lieu of $15,000 bail.
Adams faces a felony charge of third degree grand theft, according to the Sheriff’s Office website.
On Wednesday, Aug. 19, Adams and his co-worker responded to a client’s home in south Indian River County to perform A/C repair work during which the homeowner noticed jewelry missing from her room, where Adams had been working, according to the arrest report.
The co-worker told investigators that Adams had been working in the attic inside the victim’s bedroom and both of the men went back and forth from the garage to get supplies. The co-worker further said that at one point when he entered the garage, he saw Adams crouched in front of an open cabinet containing shiny objects that looked like jewelry.
He called his supervisor, according to the arrest report, who responded to the home and fired Adams. Adams was driven back to the business where he was released, the report states.
The co-worker remained at the house and searched the work van, authorities said, and found a blue jewelry box containing four pieces of jewelry, which the homeowner was able to identify as being hers. According to authorities, the jewelry is valued at $16,200.
The homeowner reported other pieces of jewelry missing with a combined value of more than $80,000, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Investigators ran Adams through a pawn database and found he had pawned 12 pieces of jewelry the same day for $689, according to the arrest report. Eight of the 12 items were found to be that of the homeowner and were recovered at the pawnshop, with a value of $20,000.
The Sheriff’s Office conducted a search for Adams, who was located on Wednesday, Aug. 20, at a hotel. According to the arrest report, Adams told investigators he pawned the eight pieces to one pawnbroker and other pieces at two other pawn stores. More pieces of jewelry, Adams told the Sheriff’s Office, were in his car back at the hotel.
The arrest report did not state whether the remaining pieces of jewelry had been recovered from the other two pawn stores or from Adams’s vehicle.
