Detectives: Pet sitter steals $12k worth of jewelry from client

SUMMERVILLE, SC (WCSC) - Investigators say a 43-year-old Summerville woman, who works as a pet sitter, stole nearly $12,000 worth of jewelry from a client and pawned some of it at area pawn shops in the Lowcountry.

The Summerville Police Department charged 43-year-old Jennifer Price Marrero with second-degree burglary.

A police officer spoke to a couple at a West Carolina Avenue home in reference to a theft.

The husband said that on June 10 he discovered some of his wife's jewelry, totaling nearly $12,000, had been stolen. The victim said that the items were placed in the wife's jewelry box in their upstairs master bedroom's closet.

According to the husband, the only people that had a key to the house was Marrero, who owns a pet sitting company called "It's Puppy Luv," and a repairman, who told the husband he did not know of anyone entering the house. Police say the couple used Marrero as a pet sitter occasionally.

The husband said a similar incident happened a year ago with the same items missing.
He said Summerville police were called in that incident and a friend of Marrero from "It's Puppy Luv" admitted to taking the jewelry and returned the items.

Police say a search of pawn shops revealed that Marrero had pawned several items of the victim's jewelry at four pawn shops in North Charleston and Summerville. Detectives then went to Marrero's house to contact her regarding the incident, but found no one home and left a card and two voice mails to her phone.

On June 18, detectives say they returned to Marrero's home, but were unable to get in touch with her. Later in the day, investigators were contacted by a North Charleston police detective who said that he was working a similar incident involving Marrero.

The detective told Summerville police that he was in the process of obtaining three arrest warrants on Marrero for obtaining goods under false pretenses for pawning items at three pawn shops in North Charleston.

On the same day, officers say Marrero's husband called and said that his wife had retained counsel and that she would turn herself in.

On June 19, Marrero turned herself in to authorities. After she was issued her advisement of rights and waiver of rights form, Marrero told police that she did not wish to speak.

Marrero was then transported to Summerville Municipal Court, given a PR bond and was released.

Police officials say most of the victim's jewelry has been recovered with only one piece missing.