House Cleaner Accused Of Stealing Jewelry From Client In Polk County

POLK COUNTY, FL — The owner of a local cleaning business was arrested again this week after authorities said she stole a white gold ring valued at $2,500 from one of her clients.

Ashley Hernandez, 31, was arrested Monday and charged with grand theft and other counts in connection with the alleged theft, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said in a release. The arrest is the third for Hernandez, who was previously accused of stealing jewelry from clients in both Polk and Hillsborough counties.

According to authorities, Hernandez, who owns her own cleaning business and advertises online, was arrested by Polk County deputies on Feb. 18 and charged with multiple felonies after a client accused her of stealing at least $12,180 in jewelry over three separate house cleanings.

Detectives located several of the stolen pieces at Quick Cash Liquidators, authorities said, and confirmed that Hernandez had completed 12 separate fraudulent pawn transactions.

Charges against Hernandez are also pending in Hillsborough County, authorities said, after a person who used Hernandez’s cleaning services discovered that items totaling $350 were missing from her Brandon home.

According to authorities, on Feb. 24, a Mulberry woman contacted the Polk County Sheriff's Office after seeing Hernandez's arrest on social media and reported that she had hired Hernandez on three occasions to clean her home. Authorities said she searched the house at that point and noticed a white gold ring valued at $2,500 was missing.

The ring was later recovered by authorities at Quick Cash Liquidators and positively identified by the victim. The pawn shop provided the receipt for the ring, which authorities said was signed by Hernandez on Jan. 28.

Sheriff Grady Judd said he believes there may be more victims who used Hernandez's cleaning services and urged them to contact the Polk County Sheriff's Office at 863-298-6200.