A Leesburg cleaning lady was taken into custody on a warrant this week for allegedly stealing necklaces and a diamond pendant from a client’s home.
A deputy responded to a theft involving 33-year-old Laura Louise Lockhart at an unidentified residence in Lady Lake on the afternoon of April 16, according to a warrant affidavit from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. He talked to a married couple about the incident while the wife wailed about missing jewelry.
The husband claimed that he hired a cleaning crew from The Maids Cleaning Service, which included Lockhart and an unnamed individual. They arrived at 11:10 a.m. to begin their work and were told not to enter the bedroom closets, according to the affidavit.
When they started cleaning, the husband became concerned since he did not see them in the main living room. He checked on them and discovered Lockhart in his wife’s closet, where she kept her valuables. The other member of the cleaning team was standing in the hallway between the closets, according to the affidavit.
The spouse challenged them about their presence, emphasizing that they were not permitted in that area. He instructed them to vacate the room and closely monitored their presence for the duration of their stay at home. They left about 12:20 p.m., nearly an hour later, according to the affidavit.
Shortly after, the wife went home to find many items of jewelry missing from the closet. The affidavit stated that these contained various gold necklaces and a diamond pendant for a total of $29,000.
A deputy then contacted the cleaning company and spoke with the office manager. Law enforcement discovered that Lockhart and her companion had been assigned to work together, and there had been four internal complaints regarding missing items. None had been reported to law enforcement, although such behavior violated company policy, according to the affidavit.
Lockhart was eventually apprehended Monday on a warrant charging her with theft ($10,000 to $50,000 from a person 65 years old or older). She was detained at the Sumter County Detention Center, and her bond was set at $20,000. Marion County also issued a hold on her.
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