A 31-year-old woman from Lakeland has been arrested in connection with the theft of over $12,000 in jewelry, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Ashley Hernandez, who owns a cleaning business, was taken into custody on February 18, 2026, following an investigation that began on February 13, 2026. The investigation was initiated after a 67-year-old victim reported that jewelry valued at approximately $11,500 had been stolen from her home. The victim suspected Hernandez, who had been hired to clean the residence three times since December 2025, of entering her master bedroom and taking the items.
The missing jewelry included an 8-inch diamond bracelet valued at $2,000, a pendant valued at $3,000, an 18-carat gold men’s ring with a Medusa imprint valued at $3,000, a 7-inch 18-carat gold ID bracelet valued at $3,000, and a pair of 18-carat gold panther earrings valued at $500. Detectives discovered several of the stolen pieces at Quick Cash Liquidators and confirmed Hernandez had completed 12 fraudulent pawn transactions, totaling at least $12,180 in stolen jewelry. Some of the jewelry had already been sold or melted down.
Hernandez faces charges of dealing in stolen property, providing false owner information to a pawnbroker, and theft from a person 65 years or older, all second-degree felonies. During the investigation, it was revealed that others on Hernandez’s social media page had accused her of similar thefts. A friend of the victim, who also used Hernandez’s cleaning services, reported missing items worth $350 from her Brandon home. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is handling that portion of the investigation, but Polk County detectives added charges of dealing in stolen property and providing false information to a pawnbroker after confirming the jewelry was pawned in Polk County…