A Bristol Township housekeeper was charged last week after police said they traced the theft of thousands of dollars in stolen flatware and jewelry from customers in Middletown and Lower Makefield to her.
Diane Scheetz, 58, was arraigned before District Judge Daniel Baranoski on Friday on three counts of theft and receiving stolen property. She was released by the judge on $2,500 unsecured bail.
Advertisements
Scheetz worked for a small cleaning company, which was not named in court papers, and became a suspect after police began investigating reports of thefts from three homes, two in Middletown and one in Lower Makefield.
Police said they found an “associate” of the cleaning business owner made 28 sales to a Middletown metals dealer located on East Lincoln Highway in recent months. Scheetz is known to have sold silverware to the dealer in March, police said. Upon further investigation, police said some of the items sold to the dealer were identified by the three homeowners as their stolen items.
The associate was Scheetz’s boyfriend, who police have not yet charged with a crime. Scheetz said in an interview with investigators that she told him the items were inherited from a deceased family member and had her boyfriend sell them.
Advertisements
The first theft report was filed in March of this year by a Shadybrook Drive family who told an Middletown officer various jewelry and silverware went missing from their home. Police said the stolen items were valued at about $5,300. The family told police they suspected an employee of the cleaning service stole the pricey items because a friend who uses the same service in Lower Makefield also recently noticed silverware missing.
Lower Makefield took a theft report from the family in their township day after the Middletown residents contacted police. According to court papers, the family said $5,700 worth of jewelry and silverware was missing from their home. The theft was discovered in February and the family said they believe a cleaning service employee was behind the stolen items.
Advertisements
In July, residents on Flamehill Road in Middletown reported $3,000 worth of jewelry and $55 in quarters were missing from a bedroom in their house. The family told police they suspected the employees of the cleaning service they used were involved, court papers say.
As part of the investigation, police searched precious metal transactions between the owner of the cleaning business and her known associates.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
