ORANGE PARK, Fla. – A 33-year-old pest-control worker was arrested in Clay County on Wednesday on charges of grand theft and dealing in stolen property, investigators said.
Deputies said James Michael Forys stole jewelry from four clients of Florida Pest Control while he was in their homes performing pest-control services.
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On Oct. 9, arrest warrants were issued for Forys on two charges of grand theft, one charge of dealing in stolen property and one charge of false verification to a second-hand owner.
Detectives said Forys has identified at least four victims so far, and there could be more. The first incident happened about a month ago. Each time, Forys was working for Florida Pest Control.
Detectives said they caught on because Forys was trying to pawn the jewelry at different pawn shops in the Jacksonville and Orange Park areas.
The detective leading the case said Forys has cooperated and confessed. He remains in the Clay County Jail.
Charles Anderton, branch manager for Florida Pest Control, said the company is cooperating with authorities as they investigate.
"We are aware of it and very disappointed," Anderton said.
He said Forys was fired as soon as the company learned of the allegations.
One victim reported the theft of a $300 ring, which she believed was taken from her bathroom by a Florida Pest Control technician.
"He (the technician) asked me if he could use the restroom, and I said, 'Of course,'" said the victim, who asked not to be identified. "He was in there a long time, and he came out and finished up outside and left. And it was a few days later when I noticed that my ring was missing."
The victim said she didn't like the technician's demeanor at the time and watched him fairly closely. She said when she realized the jewelry was gone, she thought it must be the technician.
"I had no one else in the house over that period of time," she said.
That victim reported the suspected theft to Florida Pest Control and they told her to contact the Clay County Sheriff's Office, according to an arrest report.
News4Jax crime and safety expert Gil Smith said it's OK to follow workers into rooms that have valuables.
"You may feel like you don't want to do that because 'They may think I don't trust them,' but you set those ground rules down ahead of time that you would like to walk through with them," Smith said. "In many cases, especially if they're honest, they won't mind you following them around your house wherever they're doing work."
Smith said it's also a good idea to check after the worker leaves to see if anything was disturbed or to be proactive and put valuables away ahead of time.
"Most crimes are crimes of opportunity," Smith said. "Put those things away, put them in a drawer. If you have weapons, or rings, watches, anything of value, just put it away out of plain view, then there's no reason for them to walk by and snatch it."
According to one arrest report, Forys sold six gold rings for $475 to Gold Refiners on Park Avenue in Orange Park on Sept. 9. Four of those rings were confirmed as stolen from a Jacksonville home, which had been serviced by Florida Pest Control in September. Forys told police he entered that home while performing pest-control services, the arrest report said.
The store manager at Gold Refiners told police Forys told her the rings had been left to him in the will of a grandmother who had recently died. When he pawned the rings, Forys signed a statement that they were not stolen and provided his thumb print on the pawn ticket.
The owners of the other two rings have not yet been identified, but according to the arrest report, Forys admitted the rings he pawned at Gold Refiners were stolen.
Another arrest report said a client of Florida Pest Control reported $3,000 worth of rings missing from his home. Two of those three rings were seized from a Gold Refiners pawn shop in Jacksonville, the arrest report said.