“Hospice worker accused of stealing 92-year-old's wedding ring, other jewelry - St. Petersburg Times” plus 1 more |
| Hospice worker accused of stealing 92-year-old's wedding ring, other jewelry - St. Petersburg Times Posted: 23 Sep 2010 11:49 AM PDT By Danny Valentine, Times Staff Writer
SUN CITY CENTER — Jane Meek, gravely ill, wanted to wear her wedding ring one last time. But the 92-year-old widow feared the ring was gone forever, stolen from her home with other jewelry Saturday while she lay in a hospital bed suffering from cancer. Mike Massimei, 47, heard about the case Monday and was determined to make Meek's wish come true. The Hillsborough County sheriff's detective quickly homed in on a suspect: a hospice worker who had delivered equipment to the woman's home. Within hours, Massimei had a confession and the jewelry in hand. Soon, he was walking up to Meek's Sun City Center home to return 22 pieces of jewelry, including the ring her late husband had given her. She was so elated she couldn't stop crying. The detective choked back tears of his own. They talked for two hours, but Massimei mostly just listened as Meek described the life behind her necklaces, bracelets and rings, some collected during travels to Egypt and India. It made him think about his own memories: his wife's smile at their wedding, dancing in the kitchen at Thanksgiving. "I've seen a lot of things," said Massimei, a 21-year veteran of law enforcement. "This one really touched my heart." His talk with Mrs. Meek stayed with him. "I know that I am going to treasure everything that comes past my eyes," he said. "It makes you look at your heart." The man he arrested, Jason B. Russell, 27, was charged with third-degree grand theft. He was released Wednesday from a Hillsborough County jail on $2,000 bail. Massimei said Russell is a former military police officer. The LifePath Hospice worker admitted he stole the jewelry, worth about $4,000, the detective said. While delivering equipment, Russell asked Meek's family for water. Left alone, he went into her bedroom and emptied her jewelry box, Massimei said. The detective said nine other pieces of jewelry were found with Russell and that he is a person of interest in similar cases. Patty Klein, a spokeswoman for LifePath, said Russell is no longer with the company. She said LifePath conducts a rigorous background check on all employees before hiring. Russell had never been arrested in Florida. Massimei said Russell confessed quickly. "He knew he did wrong, and he wants to work through it," the detective said. "He was extremely remorseful." The detective shared that with Meek. She said she hopes Russell gets his life back on track. Danny Valentine can be reached at dvalentine@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3386. [Last modified: Sep 24, 2010 06:52 AM]
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| Deputies: Hospice worker stole widow's jewelry - msnbc.com Posted: 23 Sep 2010 10:16 AM PDT TAMPA — For veteran Hillsborough County sheriff's Detective Mike Massimei, recovering stolen property is often just part of the job. But when the 47-year-old lawman was able to return several pieces of stolen jewelry to a terminally ill 92-year-old widow, it literally brought tears to his eyes. "I was blubbering," Massimei said. Massimei started investigating the case on Monday. He knew there were only so many people who could have had access to the bedside dresser where the jewelry had been stored. He narrowed his list of suspects to 27-year-old Jason Russell, an employee of Lifepath Hospice. Investigators say on Saturday, Russell delivered hospice equipment to the elderly victim's southeastern Hillsborough County home. He asked for a drink of water, and in the seconds it took the victim's daughter-in-law to get it for him he helped himself to nearly two dozen pieces of jewelry, detectives said. Massimei went to Russell's Brandon home at 1906 Pepperwood Place and confronted him. "He later provided to me approximately seven to eight pieces of jewelry that he said he took from the victim," Massimei said. Eventually Massimei said he recovered all of the stolen jewelry which included the victim's wedding ring, a mother's ring and several necklaces that were given to the victim by her husband before he died. "Her connection to those memories was important to me," Massimei said. He took the recovered items to the victim's son in what turned out to be an emotional encounter for both men. "I gave the son, who was also in tears and ready to hug me, I said 'take this to your mother. Let her see it,'" Massimei said. Russell was charged Wednesday with grand theft. He was released later that day on $2,000 bail, records show. Massimei said Russell is addicted to painkillers because of a back injury he suffered while serving in the Air Force. Russell stole the jewelry to help support his habit, according to investigators. Massimei also said Russell has never been in trouble before and seemed genuinely sorry for committing the crime. "He expresses remorse and wanted to express to the victim in this case, which I had, how sorry he was," Massimei said. "He knew he did wrong, and he wants to work through it. He's not trying to get by it. He's trying to work through it." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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