Pair posing as Tamarac city employees stole woman’s jewelry

Tamarac – A man and woman posing as Tamarac city employees duped an 87-year-old woman out of some jewelry in an elaborate distraction theft, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said.

Detectives are hoping a sketch of the man will trigger someone’s memory so the duo can be identified and ultimately arrested.

It was about 11:30 a.m. April 30 when the elderly victim first noticed a woman in her yard in the 7100 block of Canella Court, investigators said.

When questioned, the woman said she worked for the City of Tamarac and was measuring the lake embankment so the city could install a wall, detectives said.

As they talked, an unidentified man appeared in the yard also claiming to be a city worker who came to spray the trees. When the victim reached down toward a tree, the man sprayed her hand with what he said was a poisonous chemical, investigators said.

The couple told the victim to go in the house and immediately wash her hands. The man followed her inside the kitchen to help and told her to remove both her rings. She hesitated but he forced the rings off her fingers as she screamed in pain, detectives said.

Meanwhile, the other suspect was rummaging through the rest of the house and stealing a pair of gold and a pair of diamond earrings, investigators said.

Both suspects disappeared through the yard. The man is described as being in his 50s, about 5-foot-9, and weighing about 180 pounds, with gray hair and a scruffy gray beard. The woman is also about 50 years old, standing 5-foot-6, and weighing about 140 pounds, with brown curly hair.

Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact Detective Mark Copley at 954-321-4238. Anonymous tips can be given to Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477 or online at browardcrimestoppers.org. Anonymous tips that lead to an arrest are eligible for a reward of up to $3,000.