Stephanie Jacques being held under $30,000 bond
A 40-year-old Sarasota woman has been charged with eight felony counts, including Grand Theft and Dealing in Stolen Property, after allegedly stealing jewelry from a residence where she worked as a housekeeper, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has reported.
Stephanie Lynn Jacques, of 2102 Hillview St., was arrested on Aug. 11, a news release says. She remained in jail under total bond of $30,000 as of late morning on Aug. 24, the Sheriff’s Office’s Corrections Division records showed. Her arraignment on part of the counts is scheduled for Oct. 6, with a second arraignment set for Oct. 13.
The news release identified her as a Ruskin resident, but the Corrections Division records show the Sarasota address.
The release explains that the “investigation began when a Sarasota resident reported several items of men’s and women’s jewelry missing from her home.” The complainant told officers that she had left Jacques, her housekeeper, “unattended at the residence.”
After a review of pawn shop databases, the release continues, “a connection was made between a number of the transactions and [Jacques]. The items were later identified by the owner …”
Among the jewelry reported stolen, Jacques’ Probable Cause Affidavit in that case notes, were the following:
- Gold-plated cufflinks with a unique design, valued at $150.
- A white gold ring with multiple diamonds surrounding a garnet, valued at $800
- A 14-carat gold watch/bracelet with white and pink diamonds, valued at $2,000.
All of the items had been stored in a dresser in the master bedroom, the affidavit points out.
A second Probable Cause Affidavit says that officers arrested Jacques in the Mobil station parking lot located at 5891 Fruitville Road. An inventory of her 2019 vehicle, that document notes, led to the discovery of an Aug. 7 check for $90 made out to Jacques from a couple in Bradenton, along with “numerous rings and other pieces of jewelry …”
When an officer checked with the couple, Eileen and Dane Jones, to ask if they were missing any jewelry, the affidavit continues, they sent the officer a photo of a diamond ring that Eileen Jones was missing. “This ring matched one of the rings pawned by [Jacques] on July 24,” the affidavit adds.
After a sheriff’s deputy sent Eileen Jones a photo showing all of the jewelry that Jacques allegedly had pawned on July 24, the affidavit says, Jones “confirmed that one other gold ring and a gold and diamond bracelet” also belonged to her.
Then, after the deputy sent Eileen Jones photos of all of the jewelry recovered from Jacques’ vehicle, the affidavit adds, she informed the deputy that three of the rings also were hers.
The affidavit then notes that an investigator “collected the Florida Pawnbroker Transaction Form from [the business where Jacques allegedly pawned the items] and submitted a request to the Forensic Identification Unit to confirm the print belonged to Stephanie Jacques.” On Aug. 14, the investigator learned from the Forensic Identification Unit that it had confirmed that the right thumb print on the form was from Jacques.
As a result of that information, the affidavit continues, Jacques was charged with Dealing in Stolen Property.
“If anyone in the area has information about this case or believes they may have been a victim of Jacques, please contact the SCSO Criminal Investigations Section at 941-861-4900,” the Sheriff’s Office news release says.
Jacques has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges in the cases, the 12th Judicial Circuit Court docket shows, and she has demanded a jury trial. She is being represented by a public defender.
Prior charges
A Sarasota News Leader review of court records found that Jacques has been charged since December 2009 with numerous traffic counts, including Careless Driving, on four occasions, and Unlawful Speed in a School Zone.
Additionally, in May 2019, she was charged with Simple Battery in a domestic violence case. The Probable Cause Affidavit for that incident indicates that Jacques and her boyfriend became engaged in an argument, during which Jacques allegedly struck him “multiple times in the face and arms,” leaving visible marks.
The affidavit says Jacques admitted to the officers that she hit the man after becoming upset. She “stated that she forgot to take her medication, which caused her to lose control …”
The affidavit adds, “Jacques is on medication for ADHD and depression.”
The victim told the officers he did not want to press charges. Court records show that the State Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute the case.